Through Red Eyes
by GameTrekker
Summary: From planting to inevitable death, a white Pikmin tells the story of its life. This is a realistic take on the entire, multifaceted world of Pikmin 2. [Now includes a bonus chapter.]
1. King

_Through Red Eyes_

by GameTrekker

**Day 1**

I am awake. In the dark, damp earth, I wait. The soil feels wonderful around my small form. I soak up the nutrients in it.

Time passes. I hear footsteps aboveground, but they do not concern me. I am safe and secure, growing ever stronger with the nourishment in the earth. The leaf at the top of the part of my body that is protruding into the air turns into a bud.

The soil will be dirt soon with all that I am sucking up from it. I feel energized and alert. My feast invigorates me. Now my bud opens into a flower.

I abruptly feel a tug on my aboveground stem. With a popping noise, I jump from the ground.

My instincts kick in immediately. I am a white Pikmin. I have been put here on Earth to serve the Leaders. It is my purpose to do whatever they ask.

I survey the environment. I am in a gravel-covered cave underground.

My energy level could not be better. I instantly look for something to do. I spot four other Pikmin, who have also just been plucked. They are following the Blue Leader. I follow as well.

"Hi!" I say to them. Being able to communicate with my fellows is another part of my instincts.

They answer back with "Hi"s and "Hello"s.

The Blue Leader has met up with another Leader, a Red one. I listen intently. I do not understand the language they speak, but it fascinates me nonetheless.

Louie: "The new whiteys are ready to go, Captain."

Olimar: "Good. Perhaps they will be able to explain why my Treasure Gauge is going off at a random spot."

The Red Leader gives a short whistle blast. He wants me, along with the other white Pikmin, to follow him. We do so.

Eventually, my red eyes sense something buried beneath the gravel surface. Instinctively, I begin to dig. I must excavate it for the Leaders. The other white Pikmin join in.

As a grey surface is slowly unearthed, the Blue Leader walks over, followed by a large band of red, yellow, and purple Pikmin, all of which sport flowers at the tips of their stems. I notice that the colored Pikmin are all bigger than us uncolored white Pikmin; purples very much so. I count the Pikmin quickly. The group is made up of 38 reds, 32 yellows and 20 purples. This makes the Pikmin population in the vicinity number 95, counting us whites.

Though the colored Pikmin are bigger, the yellow and red ones equal us whites in strength, while the purples both outmatch and outweigh us greatly. Due to our small frames, however, us white Pikmin can run faster than the others, especially the sluggish purples.

Louie: "Here are the rest of 'em, Captain."

Olimar: "Good work. They can join the white Pikmin in digging."

Louie: "Ooh. So, you found something!"

Olimar: "Yep."

The item we are digging up pops out of the ground at last. I grab hold of it. So do three of my fellow whites. Many other Pikmin help us hoist it up. Everyone, except us whites, knows where to take the thing. They move and we move with them. The Leaders follow and the rest of the Pikmin follow them.

Olimar: "It appears to be a colossal shell."

We walk along the dark passageways for many minutes. Eventually, a floating triangular vessel of some sort comes into view. There is a bright spot on the ground below it. We take the thing to that spot and let go.

The item shrinks and is sucked up into the floating vessel. The Leaders arrive and I fall back into the group behind them.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 40 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Olimarnite Shell."

Olimar: -smirks- "That's a nice name."

Pod: "Of course it is. I came up with it. Now get a move on. We must delve deeper for more treasures."

Olimar: "I suppose you're right. My Treasure Gauge just deactivated, so that must mean there's no more treasure in this sublevel."

Pod: "Well, then. Find the exit. I don't want to be kept waiting."

The Red Leader leads us for a ways. Then we arrive at a hole in the ground. Both Leaders jump through and all us Pikmin naturally follow.

We fall down to another cavern not unlike the one we just dropped from. The floating vessel has followed us.

This area, however, seems much more active than the previous one. Black beetles with yellow spots are wandering around its halls, occasionally sparking and firing arcs of electricity between each other.

Olimar: "Oh, no. Anode Beetles. Okay, Louie. I'll take the yellow Pikmin and eliminate these menaces. You keep the rest of them here and out of harm."

Louie: "Aw, c'mon, Captain. How come I always have to stay behind? I wanna lead a little troop and take out some bugs."

Olimar: "Must I repeat myself? I am the skilled one here. I escaped from this planet the first time. I am the one who studies Pikmin. I know how to handle them. You would probably rather eat them!"

Louie: "Yeah... Well, they do look a lot like Pikpik carrots."

Olimar: "See? This is exactly my point. I've let you handle them before, but you always come back with half of them left, giving me some wild excuse like... like that time you said a beetle burrowed up out of the ground, farted at you, causing your Pikmin to be poisoned and die, and then scuttled back into the earth."

Louie: "I tell you that thing was real!"

Olimar: "Whatever, Louie. Look after the reds, whites and purples while I'm gone."

Louie: -grumbles incoherently- -sits down-

The Red Leader, who seems to have won some sort of argument, promptly leaves with all of the yellow Pikmin. I long to go with him, though I know not where he is going. Wherever it is, it must be more exciting than waiting here with the Blue Leader, doing absolutely nothing.

Not too far away, I see the Red Leader. He is throwing the yellow Pikmin at the beetles. I notice that the yellow Pikmin fly quite high when thrown. Eventually, one of the yellow Pikmin lands on a beetle, flipping it over. The rest then swarm the beetle and whack it with the flowers on their heads until it is dead. The Red Leader then repeats the process with each of the other beetles. Sometimes, the beetles will fire electricity, but the yellow Pikmin walk through it like it wasn't there! Somehow, I get the feeling that I wouldn't be able to survive electrocution. The Red Leader and the yellow Pikmin eventually disappear from sight, undoubtedly exploring the rest of the cave and eliminating what's left of the beetles.

Curious as to how long the Red Leader will be gone, I ask one of the nearby red Pikmin.

"I have no idea," it answers. "I was just plucked yesterday." It then points at another red Pikmin. "Go ask that one. He's the eldest Pikmin here."

I wander over to the indicated Pikmin.

"Hi," I say. "How long does the Red Leader normally stay away like this?"

"Getting jumpy?" replies the red. "Impatience will get you nowhere. If you manage to live as long as I have, you learn to enjoy these times of inactivity. This is my twenty-second day."

"Are you going to answer my question?"

The red lies down on its side, propping up its head with one arm, before answering, "You never know how long he'll be gone. If he needs any other Pikmin, or has a job for the Blue Leader, he'll be back."

"What might be a reason that he'd need more Pikmin?"

"Well, if there is a task that he needs accomplished concerning walking through fire, he will call for us red Pikmin. If a big bug gets in his way, he will probably come for the purples. He'll only call for you whites if a gas-producing pipe needs to be shut down, either that or he needs something dug up. Us reds are used all the time, because we hit bugs harder than any other Pikmin, except purples. By the way, there's one more Pikmin type we don't have with us right now. Blue Pikmin can survive underwater, but that's their only ability, so they aren't used very often."

"So, you don't know when he's coming back?"

The red Pikmin sighs. "No, I don't," it says finally.

I lie down as well to wait. The Blue Leader is still mumbling. I'm desperate for something to do, so I listen to the Blue Leader's foreign language.

Louie: "I can be useful. I can help. Why does Olimar always have to leave me behind? There are some dead Anode Beetles over there. I could bring them back to the ship. Yeah, that's what I'll do. Olimar will probably not be back for a while. All I have to do is go get the bugs and save us some time."

The Blue Leader suddenly stands up and whistles.

"Hmm," says the red Pikmin as everyone stands at attention. "It looks like we'll be bringing those bug carcasses back to the floating vessel."

"How do you know?" I ask it.

"I've been around long enough to have done this many, many times."

The Blue Leader walks away and we all follow him. I run to the front of the group, eager to partake in whatever task we will be sent to do.

The red Pikmin turns out to be right. With a series of beeps, the Blue Leader instructs us to pick up the beetles and carry them back.

I grab hold of a beetle and six other Pikmin do so as well. We lift it and haul it to the floating vessel. Once there, it is sucked up like the big grey thing.

We now wait. More Pikmin come, carrying more beetles. We all huddle in the light of the floating vessel.

Suddenly, the Red Leader runs toward us. He has returned, but not from the direction he left by. His eyes are wide. He is obviously in panic. I notice he has returned with two yellow Pikmin less than he left with.

Olimar: "Louie! Louie! Where are you! I told you to stay here!"

The ball at the end of the Red Leader's antenna stands up straight and makes a loud clicking noise. A few moments later, the Blue Leader rushes back to us. The loud click must be how the Leaders call each other.

Louie: "What is it? What is it? What'd I do?"

Olimar: "Oh, good. You're okay. I told you to stay here to look after the other Pikmin!"

Louie: "Well, yeah. But, you see... Um... You left bug bodies... and I... I just wanted to be helpful."

Olimar: -sighs- "I had an encounter with a Wollywog that fell from the ceiling. It squashed two of my yellow Pikmin. I retreated to get the purple Pikmin so that I could kill it without taking any more casualties, but you were gone. If there are any more of those hopping beasts clinging to the ceiling, then one could land on your Pikmin. I could not let that happen. This is one of the reasons I told you to STAY HERE!"

Louie: -hangs head- "I'm sorry, Cap."

Olimar: "I suppose, since you're alright, that no harm was done, but I do expect my orders to be followed next time. And, it's 'Captain', not 'Cap'; I feel like I've told you that over one _hundred_ times."

Louie: "Sorry, Captain."

Olimar: "That's better. Now, I require the purple Pikmin. The threat of the Anode Beetles has already been neutralized. So, I will scout out the entire area and eliminate all the Wollywogs. Then I will return and we will gather the bodies."

The Red Leader makes a blast on his whistle, calling the purples to him. Then he walks away with them, leaving the yellows with us.

A long time later, he returns. And the purple Pikmin with him are carrying two strange objects. One is round and flat while the other is tall and translucent.

Louie: "Captain! What finds!"

Olimar: -smiles- "Yes, Louie. One was hidden in a corner, but the other" -motions to the coin-shaped treasure- "had been ingested by a Glint Beetle. I nailed it with a direct hit from one of my purple Pikmin to uncover the treasure."

I grab onto the tall item, eager to speed up the process of bringing it to the floating vessel. However, I am helping for only a few seconds before the job is done.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 110 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Crystal King."

Olimar: "Excellent. Now for the coin."

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 100 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Unknown Merit."

Olimar: "Wonderful. We're making a lot of progress today. Now to round up the bodies of the Anode Beetles and Wollywogs."

Both Leaders take a troop of Pikmin and lead them off to pick up the rest of the bodies. I go with the Red Leader, as he tends to be much more decisive and active than the Blue Leader, and I want to do as much as possible.

But, nothing much happens. After all the bodies are in the floating vessel, we are led to a hole that leads further underground.

Once again, the new area looks barely any different than the previous.

Louie: "It's nice and quiet here. I wonder if there isn't much to do on this sublevel."

Olimar: "In my opinion... it's too quiet. I'll go scout out the area. You stay here."

Louie: "Yes, Captain."

As soon as the Red Leader is a few inches away from the floating vessel (he's just a few centimeter's tall himself), a rock falls from the ceiling and lands in front of him. He runs back to us as the rock begins to crack and smolder. Then, just when the rock looks like it is about to collapse, it explodes! My eyes widen. I am sure that if I were caught in such a blast, I would be killed instantly. This place is dangerous!

Olimar: "I was right to scout out the sublevel. But, as there seem to be no other threats than bomb-rocks around, I will allow you to scout as well, Louie."

Louie: "Yay!"

Olimar: "You take that route." -points- "I'll go the other way. We need to cause every bomb-rock in this area to explode. That way, we won't have to worry about such a threat. Oh, and if you find ANYTHING dangerous, come back to the ship. I don't want you in combat."

Louie: "Okay. You got it, Cap."

Olimar: -looks at Louie expectantly-

Louie: "...tain."

Olimar: "That's better."

The two Leaders walk off in opposite directions and disappear into the darkness. Every once in a while, I hear an explosion in the distance.

I lie down. _When am I ever going to be called out to do important stuff?_ I think to myself.

The Red Leader suddenly comes running back. But, he just calls all the purples and dashes off again with them jogging as fast as they can behind him, which is not very fast.

Not long after that, the Blue Leader returns. He's smiling for some reason.

To my surprise, he tweets his whistle, calling all of the white Pikmin and a bunch of the reds.

He leads us away from the floating vessel, muttering.

Louie: "That was so great! I find three Dwarf Orange Bulborbs right next to each other. Then I walk over to punch them to death and a bomb-rock falls between them! I step back and all three of them are blown up! And after that, my Treasure Gauge started going off. I'll just dig up the treasure and bring it back! Olimar's going to be so pleased."

The Blue Leader leads us over to three dead bugs and instructs some of the red Pikmin, with a series of beeps and whistles, to bring them back to the floating vessel. Then he continues into a corner of the cave.

There it is! I spy something underground. Instincts take over and I begin to dig. The rest of the white Pikmin follow suit. The reds watch.

Something pokes up out of the earth. Instantly, the red Pikmin begin to help us dig it up. In no time, we have unearthed a plant bulb. Everyone grabs on and we carry it back. The Blue Leader follows.

Once we get back, the floating vessel sucks up our prize as usual. However, when we left, there was a bunch of Pikmin here, yet I notice that now there are none but us.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 50 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Anxious Sprout."

Louie: "That's great. Olimar's going to be really happy about this."

Pod: "Let's hope so, because you two bicker way too much. As a machine, I am naturally above such squabbles. But of course, I am naturally above you, _period_, both figuratively _and_ literally."

Louie: -rolls eyes- -looks around- "Hey. I left a bunch of reds and yellows here. Where did they go?"

Olimar: "I took them."

Upon hearing the voice, I spin around to see. The Red Leader has returned and he is bringing back an impressive batch of big dead bugs.

Olimar: "I needed all the help I could get bringing back these." -smirks- "I have here three Orange Bulborbs and seven Dwarf Orange Bulborbs."

Louie: "Wow, Olimar. And you did it without any Pikmin getting its flower knocked off?"

Olimar: "Well, no. But, I found an egg that had some nectar in it, so I healed the injured Pikmin."

Louie: "You really know how to fight, Olimar. But, _I_ brought back a whole treasure!"

Olimar: "Really?"

Louie: "Uh-huh. It's called the Anxious Sprout and it's worth... uh..."

Pod: "Fifty Pokos."

Louie: "Yeah."

Olimar: "Well, _well_. Good job. I was wondering why my Treasure Gauge deactivated a minute ago. Anyway, I found the hole to the next sublevel. Let's get going."

The last of the bug bodies enter the floating vessel and everyone, including the Blue Leader, is led away by the Red Leader. Another hole comes into view and we all dive through it.

Fire spews from tiny geysers on this new floor, but such geysers are everywhere. There are also a few small orange bugs with black spots wandering around, along with strange red critters with long legs.

Olimar: "Fiery Dweevils among fire geysers. This calls for a red Pikmin sweep. I'll take them and put out the fires while you stay here and keep the rest of the Pikmin from being burnt. Remember, if a Pikmin catches on fire, a loud whistle in its direction will remind it how to put out the flames."

Louie: "I know; I know."

The Red Leader summons the red Pikmin to him and walks off. Whenever he approaches a fire geyser, the reds whack it with their flowers, stopping it up so that it doesn't spew fire anymore. Eventually, he ventures too far away to be seen.

The Red Leader is gone for a very, _very_ long time. The Blue Leader goes to sleep after a while and I decide to do the same.

I don't know how long I stay asleep, but the voice of the floating vessel wakes me up.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 150 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Eternal Emerald Eye."

Olimar: "Yes! I knew that was a good find! This other treasure should be worth at least that amount as well!"

Louie: "What is it?"

Olimar: "It appears to be a giant skull. Louie, I don't think I ever told you this, but I have reason to bel-"

Pod: -interrupts Olimar- "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 140 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Colossal Fossil."

Olimar: "Excellent! Anyway, I have reason to believe that once, long ago, enormous beings lived on this planet, the sizes of which you cannot imagine. They must have dominated the planet in ages past before becoming extinct."

Louie: "Extinct? How?"

Olimar: "There are two possibilities. Either food supplies ran low, which is a possibility, as nothing here is big enough to feed such monstrosities, or the giants somehow managed to wipe themselves out. Further tests will discover the answer."

Silence. I notice that the Red Leader returned with less reds and more purples than he left with.

Olimar: "Well, enough about stuff that doesn't concern us. Let's get going. Another hole awaits our descent."

We are led to another hole and jump down.

On landing, I feel energized. My nap left me itching for action even more than I had been before it.

Pod: "Sensors indicate that this is the Final Floor."

Olimar: "Excellent. Our findings here have been good and our casualties negligible. Now, what terrible beast lurks at the bottom of this pit? In every dungeon so far, we've run into some sort of ruler on the Final Floor, so naturally there should b-" -gasps- "Oh, no..."

Louie: "What is it!"

Olimar: "There. On the ground." -points- -voice begins to shake- "Those eyestalks. I recognize them only too well."

Louie: "Those little sticks are eyes?"

Olimar: "Louie, under that soil lurks a terrible beast. I met one on my first adventure here. His name is Emperor Bulblax. It was the very last bug I faced and it had ingested my Secret Safe, which contained my life savings! But, beating it came at a price. Nearly all of my Pikmin were wiped out. Luckily, I managed to defeat the monstrosity with enough Pikmin to carry the Safe back to the ship, but I can't let such a massacre happen here."

Louie: "Well, if you've beaten him before, you can do it again, can't you?"

Olimar: -looks at the Pikmin- -takes deep breath- "Yes. You're right. It must be done. I've already beaten _two_ Emp_ress_ Bulblaxes. They... can't be... _too_ much harder..."

Louie: "That's the spirit! Look. With me at your side, Emperor Buttocks w-"

Olimar: "Bulblax! Louie, that's terrible."

Louie: "Sorry, Cap. What I mean is that we'll work as a team! How'd you beat him last time? How're we gonna do it?"

Olimar: "Well, last time I tricked it into eating bomb-rocks and then pelted it with Pikmin before it could recover, but there are no bomb-rocks in sight. My Pikmin were slurped up so fast when he wasn't stunned... No. It's much too dangerous. I have to do this alone. And call me 'Captain'."

Louie: -whines- "Captaaaaaaaaaain. I'm here to help you! If you won't let me do anything then I should just go home!"

Olimar: "Fine! I never asked for you to come with me! It was the President's idea!"

Louie: "So what! I've been watching you. I know just as well how to move and throw Pikmin troops. You've got to admit you'll never defeat this big nemesis bug without my help. We'll both throw Pikmin at it at the same time! We'll do it! Just let me fight. Pleeeeeeeease?"

Olimar: "Oh... Very well... I've defeated him before..."

Louie: "We can do it again!"

Each Leader calls half of the Pikmin, getting nearly equal shares of each color. I go to the Red Leader.

Both Leaders march forward toward a sandy arena, issuing beeps and whistles that tell us to follow with the purples first, reds second and yellows third, with the whites fourth and last. I am annoyed at this. I want to get in on the action, though I know not what action we are headed for.

Two little tan-colored things are poking out of the sand. I wonder what they are.

Olimar: "Okay, Louie. Aim for his face. His back is armored. The most important thing to keep in mind is that when he opens his mouth, get away. His tongue is very sticky and any Pikmin that gets touched by it will be eaten. Also, get away from his shadow when he jumps. Keep your Pikmin close. Attack with everything you've got."

Louie: -tries to stop shaking- "Yeah, Capt-t-tain. You g-got it."

Olimar: -takes another deep breath- "Right, then. Let's wake him up."

The Red Leader grabs hold of the purple Pikmin behind him and flings it almost vertically into the air. There is a resounding _thud_ as the Pikmin hits the ground next to the Red Leader.

Almost immediately, the sand is blasted upward and the two little tan things are raised up onto the top of a gigantic monster of the same color. Half of the monster is taken up by its pudgy head and disgustingly huge mouth, from which saliva slowly drips. The other half looks like a big, moss-covered rock. My tiny frame is nearly blown over by the behemoth's rising.

Olimar: "NOW!"

Both Leaders begin pelting the monster with streams of thrown purple Pikmin. The purples land hard on the monster's face, clinging to it and whacking it repeatedly with their flowers. The monster groans in pain and opens its mouth.

Olimar: "GET AWAY!"

The Leaders now turn and run from the monster, beeping loudly to tell us to follow close. The monster's tongue emerges and sweeps the sand. With my superior speed, I easily run well out of the tongue's reach, but four of the Blue Leader's yellow Pikmin are slurped up by it. They are then pulled, screaming, into the monster's gaping maw, never to be seen again.

The monster thrashes around, shaking off the Pikmin on its head. Its mouth then opens again. The tongue comes out, but goes back in without success.

Olimar: "NOW!"

Both Leaders run back towards the monster, flinging Pikmin at it. The Red Leader exhausts his supply of purples and moves on to reds, while the Blue Leader randomly throws every Pikmin within arm's reach. I suddenly wish I had joined him instead. I don't care if this beast is the scariest thing I've ever seen in my short-so-far life; I want to fight! Yet, not all my fellows seem to share in that desire. Some are purposefully getting to the back of their color-coded group. Apparently, although we all look similar, not all of us have the same personality.

Suddenly, the monster squats low to the ground and then jumps upward. All the Pikmin on it are flung off. The Leaders whistle, calling the Pikmin to regroup, but a shadow appears over the Blue Leader's forces. He notices and runs, but not fast enough. The monster returns to the earth right on top of his troops, instantly crushing a few purples and numerous reds. They didn't stand a chance.

The Red Leader resumes pelting the monster. Enraged, the Blue Leader does as well, but throws more wildly than ever. Some of his Pikmin land on the monster's back and bounce off. However, one of his remaining red Pikmin lands on one of the monster's eyes. Instantly, there is a spurt of red blood and the monster writhes in pain, throwing off the Pikmin.

The monster's tongue comes lashing out in the Red Leader's direction, catching him off-guard. He beeps a retreat signal, but too late. Five yellows, sixteen reds and one of my fellow whites are swept up by the tongue. Their screams still echo around the cavern after the Pikmin are eternally silenced in the monster's stomach.

A split-second later, the monster burps slightly, sending a few purple vapors into the air. I wonder what caused that.

Then the monster jumps again, but this time lands right back where it jumped from. However, the force of its focused collision with the ground knocks every Pikmin into the air.

There is instant pandemonium. Every Pikmin begins running in every direction. I run towards the Red Leader, only faintly hearing the whistles of the Blue Leader as he tries desperately to regroup us.

But right when I get to the Red Leader, he has already caught a purple Pikmin by the stem above its head. Whirling it about, he throws it at the monster, which was just about to unleash its tongue again.

Seeing me running towards him, the Red Leader grabs me and hurls me at the monster as well.

I see the purple Pikmin hit the monster, landing directly on its unhurt eye. Blood gushes forth and the monster's tongue is sucked back in.

I land. Grasping onto the blinded monster with my claws, I whack its forehead repeatedly with my pink flower. Other Pikmin are thrown up as well. I hear terrible howls from the monster as it is pummeled.

A sudden violent shake throws me off. Luckily, I land on my rear, rather than my flower, which could have been ripped clean off.

I look up at the monster. It is writhing and thrashing, roaring at the top of its lungs, flinging spit and blood everywhere. Its tongue wriggles out, flailing in the air.

Then it stops abruptly. The monster falls on its face and moves no more.

Well, actually it does move once more. With a mighty belch, it releases a big shiny object onto the sand.

The Leaders slowly gather up the remaining Pikmin and count them. There are only 21 purples, 8 reds, 21 yellows, and 4 whites left. The population has gone from 93 (before the battle) to 54.

Olimar: "That's 39 casualties. Four purple, nine yellow, only one white, but a whopping twenty-five red. I suppose this actually went quite well, though. We still have a vast surplus of red Pikmin, so this hardly put a dent in that population. Plus, I have also decided on a name for this dungeon. It shall be called... the Bulblax Kingdom. But, the important thing is that we won. Emperor Bulblax has been dethroned once more!"

Louie: "We did it! We did it! Now, admit it, Captain, you needed me. Without my help, the battle would have been five times as long and much worse."

Olimar: "You did provide a fair amount of necessary assistance. However, you need to work on your reflexes. Our death count would have been much lower had you managed to get your Pikmin out of the way of Emperor Bulblax's falling body after he jumped the first time."

The Red Leader then stops talking, so that he can direct us Pikmin to pick up the body of the monster and the object that fell out of it. I rush to pick up the object and therefore miss what the Blue Leader says. I begin listening again once I have picked up the item. I'll never be able to understand their language, but it's slightly entertaining to hear.

Olimar: "I'm not going to argue with you, Louie. I am definitely not being 'ungrateful'. I was just pointing out where you could do with some improvement."

With the help of a bunch of other Pikmin, the item is safe and sound in the floating vessel.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 100 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Forged Courage. In addition, on analyzing the substance that the Forged Courage is made up of, I have discovered that it is 100 percent fireproof. Olimar. Louie. Stand under me."

Louie: "Another upgrade! Oh, boy!"

The Leaders walk over to us and stand in the light of the floating vessel. Their bodies glow bright white for a second, but then the light fades. Nothing seems different.

Pod: "I have fitted your spacesuits with a Scorch Guard. You can now walk through fire without suffering damage."

Olimar: "Excellent."

Louie: "This is great. We just got the powers to hit harder and move faster from the last cave. Now we don't have to worry about getting burnt either!"

The dead monster arrives and is sucked up as well.

Olimar: "And now to find the exit geyser. Oh, wait a minute. My Treasure Gauge still says there's treasure in the sublevel. Let's go find that instead."

The Red Leader calls all the Pikmin to him.

Olimar: "Come with me Louie. There can't be any more bugs around."

The Red Leader leads us to the far side of the arena, where there is a strange section of the wall that is made up of white roots. He instructs us to tear it down.

All 54 of us swarm the wall, smacking it with our flowers. But, I notice not all of us have flowers. Some of the Pikmin around me are striking the wall with a leaf, which is growing where a flower should. These leaf-bearing Pikmin are working much slower than the rest of us. They must have gotten their flowers knocked off during the battle with the monster. I suddenly feel very sorry for them. Their flowers will never grow back without nutrients from the ground, but I doubt replanting is something that can be done.

The root wall is destroyed within seconds. On the other side lies a huge puddle. I don't know how to swim, so I had better not be told to go in. There are paths around the puddle, however. One leads off to the left, where there is a large geyser spouting water. The other goes to the right and ends in fire geysers. I can see more flames in the darkness across the puddle.

Olimar: -addresses the Pod- "I thought you said that there were no water puddles in this dungeon. That was why I didn't bring any blue Pikmin."

Pod: "My sensors don't reach this far underground. I usually assume that whatever lies above is a good indication of what lies below. I am not at fault."

Olimar: "Louie, I'll be taking the reds. I'm going to see if the treasure can be obtained without the Pikmin having to go through this mess."

Louie: "Why the reds?"

Olimar: "I need to put out the fires. Don't you use your eyes?"

Louie: "Well, yeah... But..."

The Red Leader whistles the eight reds to him and walks off to the right. After a while, he returns without the reds.

Louie: "What happened to your P-"

Olimar: "I threw them up on a ledge." -addresses the Pod- "I'm going to have to walk through some fire to get up to that ledge. Are you sure I won't get hurt?"

Pod: "Of course I'm sure! As a machine, I am incapable of error."

Olimar: -smirks- "Well then, why did you tell me there were no puddles in here?"

Pod: "PARADOX DETECTED. CANNOT COMPUTE. SWITCHing to pooowerrr-saaaaaviiiiing moooooooooooooooode..."

Olimar: "That's better."

The Red Leader walks off again, but this time he wades out into to water. I wonder why he had returned without the reds. Are they dead?

After another period of time, the Red Leader returns again.

Olimar: "Eight Pikmin isn't quite enough to move this treasure. I'll need the four whites."

To my excitement, the Red Leader calls us four white Pikmin. He leads us along the right side of the puddle and to a ledge. I notice the red Pikmin have stopped up all the fire geysers in the area. The Red Leader then throws each of us onto the ledge and walks away. He walks up a little flaming ramp in the distance before coming over to us on the ledge. He calls us again and leads us to a brown pillar, which the red Pikmin (I am relieved to see) are trying to move. We help them lift it and take it back to the floating vessel.

After going back down off the ledge, I notice that the Pikmin next to me is the red Pikmin I spoke to about the Red Leader being absent a while back. The older Pikmin had survived the battle!

"You made it!" I say in delight. "You weren't killed!"

"That's right," it replies. "I see you pulled through too. Good job. I think I'm going to stay in my Seed Hut for the next few days, though. I'm tired of all this battling. I wish I knew when the Leaders are planning to go in another hole, but no one understands their language, only the beeps and whistles they make."

"Yeah. By the way, at one point during the battle, one of my fellow white Pikmin was eaten by the monster. Right after that, the monster exhaled a bit of purple vapor. What was that?"

"You mean you don't know you're poisonous? That was the evaporated blood of your fellow you saw. If any bug is stupid enough to eat you, you'll be able to hurt it from the inside after you die. I've seen the Red Leader feed a bunch of white Pikmin to a monster he was having real difficulty beating. The monster threw up, burning a hole in its own throat. Easy kill."

I widen my eyes in horror. "The Red Leader would never let his Pikmin die on purpose!" I shriek. "That's terrible!"

"I tell it like it is. If he thinks he can save sixty Pikmin by letting fifteen kick the bucket, he'll do it. That little endeavor saved my life, along with many others."

I decide not to respond. That topic was a little too scary to think about.

We arrive at the floating vessel.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 250 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Gyroid Bust."

Olimar: "Now, _that's_ a treasure! 250 Pokos. Not bad, eh Louie?"

Louie: "That's great, Captain. Can we go now?"

Olimar: "Yep. Treasure Gauge is off. Geyser is accessible. Let's go."

Everyone follows the Leaders to the big geyser. The Leaders jump into it and us Pikmin follow suit.

Up and up we go. The water shoots us out into the open air.

What an immense place this is. Soaring into the vast sky, I see a whole gigantic world below, just waiting to be explored. I feel more excited than ever.

Landing back on the ground, the Leaders begin to speak again. While listening, I continue to look around. The area is lush and green. Life is everywhere.

Olimar: "Oh, boy am I tired. What time is it?"

Louie: "About mid-day."

Olimar: "Well, I'm going to the ship to rest. Could you do me the favor of giving the leaf-bearing Pikmin some nectar? Have them search the grass over there." -points- "Put them in their Onions when you're done and call it a day. Remember, the white and purple Pikmin both go in the ship."

Louie: "Yeah, I remember. Oh, wait. One more thing. I just remembered that we never got around to trying out the Ultra-Bitter Spray. You said we'd do that today."

Olimar: "Oh, well. Sorry I forgot. We'll do that tomorrow."

Louie: "Okay. Have a good sleep, Cap."

Olimar: -looks at Louie expectantly-

Louie: "...tain."

Olimar: "That's better. Good night."

The Red Leader walks away and is sucked up by the floating vessel, which has perched itself on top of a big machine thing.

The Blue Leader separates the Pikmin into leaf-bearers and flower-bearers. He then gives us flower-bearers the beeping signal to return to our quarters... but I don't know what that means.

The yellow and red flower-bearers walk to what must be their colored Seed Huts, which are big fruit-like things with flowers on top and three long legs coming down.

"Come with us, whites!" calls the voice of a purple Pikmin. We follow. The purples lead us to the machine on which the floating vessel rests. A nozzle on the machine's right side makes a sucking noise. The purple Pikmin dive into it. Us whites follow.

I now see what is undoubtedly the machine's storage room. Because its interior does not look like that of a machine, I shall refer to it from now on as the storage vessel.

I am now face-to-face with a bunch more purple and white Pikmin.

They all greet us newcomers by telling us about where we are and how going in and out of this place works. I am relieved that everything is being explained.

When it's over, I take a better look around the place. The Leaders, as I have gathered, are collectors, but of what I can't really say. The objects we brought to the floating vessel today are all here, plus many others that must have been collected on days past. Bug bodies also litter the place. The whole room smells like fertile soil.

It's the perfect place for a good night's rest.

* * *

NOTE TO THE READER: Well, how do you like it so far? This is my second work of fiction. It will span this Pikmin's entire life, from its planting to its inevitable death. I had to start this story slow, but it will pick up. However, these chapters (or "days") are much longer than the chapters in my previous work, so don't expect as recent updates. And, yes, I know that a lot of things in the Bulblax battle aren't possible in the game, but you have to admit it made for an interesting fight. I'm going to make the Pikmin world a bit more realistic than it was in the games, so hang on tight; you're in for a wild ride.

NOTE TO ALL THOSE OF YOU WHO OWN A PIKMIN 2 STRATEGY GUIDE: I wouldn't be able to be writing this fan fic without one. I am pleased to say that it has allowed me to obtain every single treasure in the game and beat Challenge Mode with all pink flowers. But, anyway, if you have the guide, **use it to follow along while you read this story.** That will show you how well it follows the game. The beginning of this story takes place in the Bulblax Kingdom, Sublevel 3.


	2. Comp

From now on, NOTES TO THE READER will be in italics.

_The second day has arrived! Thanks for all your reviews. Extra thanks goes to Pyrasaur, the provider of my first bit of decent constructive criticism. _

_About the Olimar/Louie script format: I'm doing that because the Pikmin can't really narrate it. The Pikmin language is made up of musical notes, thus the spacemen's ability to control them with beeps and whistles. Another reason is that I need to put Olimar and Louie's names in here somewhere, but the Pikmin doesn't know them. Pikmin don't even _have_ names! So, I deviate from the narration in order to effectively convey the spacemen's conversations. Although, I admit I don't put in enough actions in the script format writing. I made an effort to improve that slightly this chapter._

_Also, Olimar and Louie's unstable relationship will naturally be a big subject of this fan fic. I needed the long amount of "collection time" in the first day to set things up. The rest of the story will be more interesting._

* * *

**Day 2**

I reawaken to the sound of a whistle. The Red Leader (whose whistle is slightly different than the Blue Leader's) is calling for twenty-five white Pikmin.

I jump into action. I race to the exit nozzle and emerge into the... white outside? This isn't the place where we were yesterday. The air is frigid and a layer of snow covers the low walls. (My instincts allow me to know what snow is.) I'm sad that I won't get to explore yesterday's luscious environment.

On looking back at the storage vessel, I notice that it's _much_ smaller on the outside than it was on the inside. So that's how all those items fit into it, not to mention all of us Pikmin. I bet there are multiple floors as well. The Leaders must have their own habitat above us during the night.

And speaking of the Leaders, they're currently chatting together. I listen, as usual.

Louie: -whines- "Oh, come _on_, Captain. Tell me where we're going. We were just here two days ago. We got everything in the Frontier Cavern. Why are we back here?"

Olimar: -sighs- "Please stop asking, Louie. I am no closer to changing my mind about telling you than I was a few seconds ago. I don't want you to argue with me, so I am keeping the intel concerning today's mission to myself."

Louie: -whines harder- "Pleeeeeeeeease! I'm begging you!"

Olimar: -nods- "I see that, but my mind remains resolute."

The Red Leader walks out of the enclosure where the three Seed Huts and the storage vessel rest. The Blue Leader follows. I do as well, along with my twenty-four fellows.

I run to the front of the group and look back at the other Pikmin. With a sudden jolt of surprise, I realize that no other Pikmin type was called for, just twenty-five whites. Where could we be going that would require only one color? A place filled with poison possibly?

We turn right, walk across a metal surface, turn right again, walk across some snow, walk through a stone basin, turn left, and cross a wooden bridge over a puddle.

Olimar: "I studied intensely for this mission overnight, Louie, so that we could perform the task today. I didn't want to wait until tomorrow, when the bugs in this area will no doubt return."

Louie: "Wait... Oh, please no. Please no..." -eyes widen- "Don't turn right!"

We turn right onto a large, low hill of snow.

Louie: "Captain! Not back in there! Are you crazy?!"

Olimar: -points at Louie- "Listen, Louie. I'm not turning back. We never got the last treasure in the Subterranean Complex and I intend to retrieve it."

Louie: "B-but, last time, the... the thing... shot you until your suit broke. I had to retreat to the geyser with the rest of the Pikmin while the ship's pod rescued you! YOU COULD HAVE DIED!!! _Plus_, we lost nearly all our purple Pikmin! It's a miracle your helmet didn't rupture! One breath of oxygen and you'd be dead as a... a... dead Pikmin."

We arrive at a hole on top of the snow hill.

Olimar: "I have studied extensively the specs of the beast we faced in these depths and I am certain that, this time, I shall prevail. With an army of fast runners, for timed retreats, I will be able to run to safety when the Man-at-legs readies its gun to fire, and then quickly attack while it reloads."

Louie: -folds arms- "Well, _I'm not_ going with you. I'm never going back down there. You can go kill yourself for all I care."

Olimar: -nods- "Fine. I don't really need you here. I was planning on leading the attack solo anyway."

Louie: -unfolds arms- "What? You... You mean I don't have to come?"

Olimar: "No. No you don't."

Louie: "But... You... I... No, I'm coming. I can't let you go down there alone."

Olimar: "Then come."

Louie: "Alright, I will!"

Both Leaders jump in the hole. We follow.

On each descending floor of this underground maze, the Leaders lead us straight to the exit hole. We avoid every bug.

The snow outside continues onto the first floor, but the rest of this cavern becomes quite strange. The floor is made of rusting metal, suspended over a fathomless abyss. I find it hard to believe that we are indeed underground. This place is like a whole other world.

All the while, the Leaders talk.

Olimar: "As I was saying, it was the fact that I relied on brute force in our first encounter with the Man-at-legs that brought about my defeat. My army of purple Pikmin was simply no match for the beast's weapon. Yet, now that I have all these white Pikmin at my side, I will surely triumph." -clenches fist-

Louie: "But, if the monster sees you run behind a wall, won't it follow you?"

Olimar: "No, no it won't. One of the characteristics of the Arachnorb family, of which the Beady Long Legs was another member, is that they lack optical receptors."

Louie: "Optimal resetters?"

Olimar: -rolls eyes- "Optical receptors, Louie. _Eyes_. The Arachnorbs are blind."

Louie: "But, then how did it have such good aim?" -tries to scratch head, but can't because of space helmet-

Olimar: "The Man-at-legs possesses two abilities that allow it to pinpoint prey with exceptional proficiency. First, you noticed the little red light attached to its gun, right? Well, that is a sensory laser. If it passes over something living, the gun will fire. But, the true aptitude the Man-at-legs possesses in that of sound perception. The Man-at-legs listens for its prey. It can detect noises as faint as a Pikmin's breathing, and that is why it will fire on us even while we're protected. It hears sounds coming from behind a wall, but it can't hear the _wall_. So, it then fires in that direction even though its laser doesn't 'see' anything, because it can't move while it has its gun out and it's too cautious to pull the gun back in in order to do so. Understand?"

Louie: "I... _think_ so."

We arrive at the fourth floor. For some reason there are no bugs on this floor.

Olimar: "Hmm. I should have brought some red Pikmin with us so they could be turned into whites in these Ivory Candypop Buds. Oh, well. Louie, comb this area and break open any eggs you find. More Ultra-Spicy Spray will be helpful."

The two Leaders leave us standing under the floating vessel, which I only just now notice has followed us. They walk off in different directions. A short while later, the Red Leader returns. Not long after that, so does the Blue Leader.

Louie: -thumps chest- "I got another Ultra-Spicy Spray!"

Olimar: "Excellent. None of the eggs I broke contained anything but nectar. So, we didn't waste our time stopping here after all."

Louie: "Ooh!" -jumps up and down- "I just got an idea, Captain. Can we test our dose of Ultra-Bitter Spay today? How 'bout we use it on the Man-at-legs?"

Olimar: "Maybe we should. But, that might be a bit too risky during such a dangerous battle. I will use it only in a state of emergency, as we still don't know what its effects are."

Louie: -shrugs- "Yeah. Okay. That sounds about right."

We all depart for the next floor.

The Leaders have stopped talking, so I decide to take up a conversation with another Pikmin. However, I don't know any of them personally, so I run to the front of the group and address them all.

"Have any of you been here before?" I ask.

Five answer "yes". I notice they are all at the back of the group. I hesitantly join them; I don't like not being able to see what's coming.

"So, if you've been here before, where are we going?" I ask the five. "The Leaders aren't having us retrieve objects. They aren't having us fight. We aren't doing anything but following. Why?"

"Because we've been here before, you twit," answers one disdainfully. "If we hadn't, then your hands would be very numb indeed by now. Back when we first came here, the Leaders had us carrying huge metal things that were all freezing cold. Do you think I _wanted_ to come back here? Not at all. I thought we were staying in yesterday's flower garden, but noooooo. We had to come back to visit _this_ hellhole. No doubt the Leaders intend to trifle with that mechanical beast in these depths. Though I have no idea why they brought only white Pikmin like us."

"Mechanical beast?" I squeak.

"Oh, yeeeeees," continues the Pikmin. "It was quite the problem for our intrepid Leaders. It nearly killed the Red one, along with 28 of his 34-Pikmin strong purple army."

"It... It was t-terrible!" cries a second of the five. "I dun wanna go back down there! I d-dun wanna fight that thing!"

I begin to get very scared. If 34 purples couldn't beat this thing, how do the Leaders expect 25 whites to even stand a chance?!

"Oh, you'll fight it," sneers the first. "We're all going to die eventually. Why prolong the inevitable? It's quite futile, really."

"I think we can do it!" pipes up a third. "The Leaders _must_ have a plan! Why else would we be back here?"

"I cannot fathom our Leaders' intellects," retorts the first. "They are not our species. For all I know, they could be leading us to this monster as sacrifice."

"They would never do that!" I interrupt. "I have faith in the Leaders! You should too."

"And _I_ have faith in _us_!" resumes the third. "We are Pikmin! We can triumph over any foe!"

"WE SHALL TEAR IT APART," suddenly barks a fourth.

The second gives a terrified shriek and cries, "Shut up! D-do ya w-wanna wake it?"

"We are not there yet," says the fifth monotonously. "The monster is far below us. It will not wake."

"B-b-b-but we're getting closer with ev-every step! We'll be there before y-ya know it!"

"We may not be headed for the monster," continues the fifth. "Perhaps our Leaders have something else planned. Whatever the case, we are here to obey them. If they intend for us to fight the monster, we will do so. No amount of complaining or crying will change that, so do not dwell in misfortune. Be prepared for whatever comes."

"LET THE MONSTER COME," interjects the fourth. "IT SHALL QUAKE BEFORE OUR MIGHT."

"That's the spirit!" chimed in the third.

"Yes, spirit indeed," scoffs the first. "Move to the front, why don't you?"

"I SHALL!" replies the fourth, running ahead.

"Finally," sighs the first. "Now he'll die before I do and my last moments will be free of annoyance."

"Our l-last moments?" whimpers the second. "I dun wanna die."

"I take that back," groans the first. "My last moments will be free of that _particular_ annoyance."

We arrive at the eighth floor, which, like the fourth, lacks bugs, and the Leaders begin to speak again.

Olimar: "Excellent. Another rest stop. It's time to look for more eggs."

Louie: "Okey-dokey."

Olimar: -gives Louie a quizzical look-

Louie: "I mean... You got it, Cap."

Olimar: -continues to eye Louie-

Louie: "...tain."

Olimar: "Right. Let's go."

The Leaders depart without us as they had on the fourth floor far above us.

"An exit geyser!!!" screams the second of the five veterans, pointing at it. "It's right there! We're goin' back home! We won't have to fight!"

"Shut it, you imbecile," interjects the first. It then points in another direction. "There's another _hole_ over there. Do you really think the Leaders brought us all this way for nothing?"

"They've g-gotta take us out! We're getting out of here! We're leaving and n-never coming back! See?! Here they c-come t-to take us back out!"

The Leaders come back. The Red arrives, then the Blue.

Olimar: "I got two more Ultra-Spicy doses! How about you, Louie?"

Louie: "_I_ got another dose of Ultra-_Bitter_ Spray!"

Olimar: "Wonderful! We now have two shots to experiment with. Good work, Louie."

Louie: -grins- "Thank you."

Olimar: "Now, onward. The Man-at-legs awaits."

The Leaders call us and lead us toward the hole.

"No!!!" wails the second of the five. "We've gotta go the other way! THE OTHER WAAAAAY!"

"Oh, don't be like that," I say, making an attempt to console the frightened Pikmin. "I went up against a humongous brute yesterday. I turned out all right. The Leaders were shaking back then just as violently as you are. I'm not afraid. You shouldn't be either."

"Pikmin have no business being afraid," drones the fifth. "We do our job and we do not complain. Fear is irrelevant."

"In other words," comments the first, "a frightened Pikmin will die just like any other."

"Don't tell our poor companion that!" scolds the third. "Whoever doesn't fight with the rest of us won't feel the joy of victory."

"Everyone will have to fight," corrects the fifth. "It is not our decision. Joy and fear are both irrelevant. We are here to serve. That is all that matters."

We descend through the hole. On landing, the floating vessel speaks, followed by the Leaders.

Pod: "Sensors indicate that this is the Final Floor."

Olimar: "Ah. So, we have finally arrived. Today shall be a testament to knowledge and its value over force. Alright, Louie, you stay behind one of these walls. I'll take cover with you while the Man-at-legs is firing."

Louie: "This is one time when I'm thankful to stay on the sidelines."

Olimar: -nods- "I'm glad you feel that way. Superior knowledge is all the help I need here."

We are in a gigantic, circular, metal arena. About a third of the way from the outside wall to the center lie low walls. It is behind one of these that the Blue Leader goes to stand.

The Red Leader, however, takes all twenty-five of us towards the center. I run to the front of the group, partly because it's the spot I like best and partly because of the second-of-the-five Pikmin's fear. I don't want it to rub off on me.

There it is. There's no mistaking it. A yellow, metal sphere sits in the middle of the arena. Pipes protrude from its top; steam slowly rises from them.

Before we get to it, however, I notice something else. Scraps of purple debris litter the area surrounding the dormant beast, along with splashes of some light-green liquid.

The Red Leader arrives at the beast.

It is just now that my sense of the situation really sets in: This is it! I'm finally going to play a major role in a major battle! I've been longing for this to happen! I have arrived!!!

Olimar: -takes a deep breath- "Okay. Here goes."

The Red Leader gives a few short beeps. The message: "ATTACK!"

Every one of us swarms the ball of the beast. I run on top of it and smack one of its pipes around with my flower.

A burst of steam erupts from each of the pipes and the beast rises.

The beast is made up of a ball, three spidery legs and one metal leg. I am lifted high up off the ground on its spherical body. Yet, I continue to attack.

The ball then rotates slowly and I hear the Red Leader's whistle. I jump off the beast. Just as I do so, the ball spins around violently, an action that would have thrown me off.

The Red Leader retreats and we all follow him. I am at the rear of the group. Looking back, I see the lower half of the ball split apart, revealing a long stick that points at me. A line of red light beams between the stick and me.

Instantly, the stick emits a loud thumping noise and a white orb speeds in my direction, or it would have had I not darted around the wall with everyone else. The orb hits the ground with a _bang_, disappearing instantly.

I hear the beast still attacking. More bangs are coming from the other side of the wall.

Louie: -eyes widen- "Wow. This sure is a dangerous plan, Captain."

Olimar: -breathing hard- "No plan against such a monstrosity can possibly be infallible. Now for a little reinforcement."

The Red Leader produces a small, red rock. The bangs of the beast's attack-orbs continue to come.

Olimar: "A little Ultra-Spicy Spray will speed things up."

The Red Leader throws the stone to the ground, where it bursts into a pink smoke cloud that engulfs everyone.

I instantly feel energized beyond anything I have yet experienced. My flower has bristled; pink sparks fly from it. I run around in circles, as does everyone else. My energy has skyrocketed!

The bangs stop and the Red Leader, darting back around the wall, charges at the beast. We all charge with him.

Even in my hyperactive frenzy, I notice that the beast's stick has vanished and the underside of the ball has closed.

We race over to the beast, which is wandering around, and the Red Leader begins throwing us all onto it.

I am tossed up onto the ball of the beast. I rapidly strike it with my flower, with double my usual speed!

Pink sparks fly from our flowers and yellow sparks fly from the beast. The metal plates on its spherical body are being bashed in.

The ball rotates again. We are called off just before the ball spins. Then we retreat back to behind the wall.

The beast launches another attack, but I do not even see the white orbs as they hammer the wall.

I continue to run and jump around. I perform a flip, landing perfectly.

The attack stops and we make another rush on the beast.

I am flung up again. I grab hold of one of the pipes and wiggle it with my hands while hitting it with my flower. But, then... my flower stops sparking. My energy level drops. I am back to normal. Well, it was fun while it lasted.

I continue to hit the pipe until the ball rotates and I am called off. No one else's flower is sparking anymore either.

I hear the stick come out of the beast as we run for the wall again. Just as I round the corner, however, I hear a shriek.

I look back around. A Pikmin has tripped on its way back with us. For a split-second I see its terrified eyes as it races to join us. The next instant, it is blasted apart by a white orb. Its light-green blood spatters the ground.

I quickly duck back behind the wall as another orb comes my way. This beast means business. One slip-up and it's all over.

The orbs rain down on the wall, but stop eventually, as usual.

The Red Leader leads us out and throws us onto the ball. I attack it. Then it rotates. We're called off... and it spins.

But, this time, the stick comes out much faster. I can tell that the Red Leader has noticed because he shouts and tries to run faster.

Olimar: -panting- "Oh, NO!"

The white orbs start coming down.

I hear a Pikmin get shot. Then another. Then _another_.

I race around the wall. Those who haven't yet done so swarm after me. I hear three more get blasted.

Just as the last Pikmin is about to round the corner, it is struck sideways by a white orb. It lands over an inch away with half of its body missing.

I am now in panic. The beast is officially angry. Now it is moving too fast for us to retreat in time. Plus, the wall is beginning to creak and groan under the barrage of white orbs.

I suddenly hear a cracking noise and am once again engulfed in pink smoke. All anxiety leaves me. IT'S HYPER TIME!

The Red Leader makes another dash. As I pelt towards the beast, I see its stick go back up into its body, the underside of which comes back together.

My mind is geared to attack. I am hurled upon the beast. I cling on and hold my head against the ball. My sparking flower's petals spin like blades, cutting into the beast's metal hide.

The ball rotates even sooner this time. As I am called off, it spins... and opens its underside at the same time. I hear the Red Leader scream.

Olimar: "NO!!! WE'LL NEVER MAKE IT BACK IN TIME!"

As the red beam of light from the stick swivels around to shine on the Red Leader, he takes out a purple rock and throws it at the ground.

The stone bursts into a cloud of foul black smog. Everything goes dark.

But the blackness clears quickly, revealing that the beast... has been turned to stone. Incredible! We're not going to die!!!

The Red Leader, clearly in awe, exclaims something.

Olimar: "It... It's been petrified! This Ultra-Bitter Spray is a miracle!"

The Blue Leader rushes to us.

Louie: "WOW! COOL!"

Olimar: -grins- "Yes. I know. Now we can simply destroy this statue and reap the rewards of victory."

Just as I am growing impatient for something to happen, I am thrown up onto the ball again. I pound the stone with my still-sparking flower.

There is suddenly a loud shattering noise and I am thrown from the monster. The beast had simply been encased in stone, not turned to stone. It has broken free.

Even before I hit the ground, I see the Red Leader get hit with a white orb. As I land (on my feet as luck would have it), I hear two more collide with him.

But then the Blue Leader voice rings out.

Louie: "NO!!! CAPTA-"

His voice turns into an agonizing scream as numerous white orbs smash into his body.

Suddenly, it stops. The Red Leader has thrown another purple rock, stopping the beast in its tracks.

The Red Leader whistles for some of us to pick up the Blue Leader's damaged body. I am among the ones who do so. Then he whistles for us to follow him.

Our flowers still sparking, he leads us back behind the wall, where he whistles for us to let go of the Blue Leader. As I do so, my energy boost wears off.

The Red Leader bends over the unconscious Blue Leader and whispers to him.

Olimar: -sobs- "Oh, Louie. It shot you because you were yelling. You... saved... my... life."

The floating vessel flies over.

Pod: "Initiating auto-rescue procedure."

The Blue Leader is sucked up into the floating vessel.

Almost immediately, there is a terrific _clang _from above and the floating vessel crashes to the ground. There is a dent in its side where the white orb had struck it.

Pod: "ERROR. ERROR. Cannot take off until area is cleared of hazards. It is too dangerous to risk another hit from the Man-at-legs."

A couple more bangs sound from the other side of the wall before the barrage stops.

The Red Leader is shaking all over.

Olimar: "I led Louie down here when he didn't need to come. It was because I was getting hurt that he yelled. It's my fault he might be dead. And now this monstrosity is preventing me from taking him to safety!"

A leg descends into the center of our group. The beast has walked over the wall. It has come to finish us off.

Olimar: "The Man-at-legs must die!!!"

The Red Leader starts throwing all the Pikmin at the beast. I instantly understand that this is an act of desperation. We cannot possibly run from it now. Now that it looms over the wall that once protected us.

I am thrown. I whack at the metal ball with all my might. If I do not succeed, I will not survive long enough to try again.

The beast suddenly crumples. A huge cloud of steam spouts from its pipes.

I let go. The surface of the ball has become too hot to hold.

The Red Leader whistles frantically for us to retreat. I run away as fast as I can. Could this be the end of us all? Or could this be the end of the beast?

I hear a huge explosion. Shards of metal fly in every direction.

I stop and turn around.

The beast is no more. Only scattered pieces of it remain, strewn all over the area.

One item does remain, however. A large, transparent orb with a few sticks of metal on the inside and a large metal cylinder stuck to its outside.

We won.

We did it.

That was... incredible! I finally got to experience the exhilaration of an awesome battle! I feel absolutely fantastic.

The Red Leader hastily commands us to pick up the item. We carry it a few inches to the floating vessel, which is now floating again.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 100 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Stellar Orb. In addition, th-"

Olimar: "Not now! We need to get out of here! Louie needs medical attention!"

The Red Leader calls us and races to an exit geyser. We all jump on and are whisked back out into the open air.

We land back in the snowy landscape; back in the area with the Seed Huts and the storage vessel, which the floating vessel lands on.

The Red Leader quickly dismisses us with a whistle and stands in the light of the storage vessel. He is sucked up into it.

The rest of us go to the nozzle and jump in.

Yes, the inside is definitely bigger than it appears on the outside.

There is a joyous commotion among us. The survivors of the battle are telling the story to everyone who stayed here.

I search the crowd to find the Pikmin that had been frightened before the fight. I'm curious to find out if it has cheered up. But, it is nowhere to be seen.

I look elsewhere and find it in a corner. The poor thing is shuddering as if because of cold. I notice that it has lost its flower and is now a leaf-bearer.

"You okay?" I ask.

"N-no..." it moans.

"But, we won," I continue. "Aren't you happy about that?"

"Go away!"

It jumps down into a crevice between two objects. I do not follow.

Suddenly, I am swept into the crowd by another Pikmin. I recognize it as the up beat of the five Pikmin.

"Hey, it's _you_!" it laughs. It then addresses the crowd, "This one had the guts to ask where we were going! He should be a role model for you all!"

"Uh, I only asked because I was curious," I say, feeling somewhat embarrassed and confused, "...and impatient."

"Leave that one alone, you dolt," interrupts the first of the five. "Don't you remember? _It_ was the one that started our whole argument. That little instigator does not deserve to be near us."

I get myself loose from the up beat Pikmin's grip and wander away from the group. I didn't do so because of what the condescending Pikmin said; I did so because... Well... I guess I just felt like being alone. My utterly satisfying day has left me tired out.

I walk into a corner and sit down in the cap of an overturned mushroom. In an attempt not to dwell on the frightful occurrences of the day, I listen to the Leaders, whose voices are audible through the ceiling. The Blue Leader seems to be fine, but his voice is a little weaker than the Red Leader's.

Olimar: "Louie! I'm so glad you're all right! Any oxygen poisoning? Broken bones? Bruises?"

Louie: "I'm fine, Captain. Really I am. Thanks a bunch for rescuing me."

Olimar: "It was the least I could do after you saved my life... twice. First you escaped with me when I originally lost against the Man-at-legs. Then you diverted cannon fire from me when I faced the monster again. I'm sorry for everything I've put you through."

Louie: "It's okay, Captain. I'm okay... Just let those big bugs come. We'll teach 'em a lesson every time."

Olimar: "Louie, I refuse to put you in harm's way any longer. We shall depart for Hocotate immediately. I'm taking you home."

Louie: "W-what?! No! I don't want to go back _home_."

Olimar: "Why not?"

Louie: "I... I like it here. This planet is a lot nicer than Hocotate."

Olimar: "Louie, this planet's atmosphere is poisonous and huge carnivorous creatures are everywhere."

Louie: "B-but, you need me. I saved your life twice already. You said it yourself. I don't get why you want to send me back."

Olimar: "Yes. Well, I suppose you're right. Wanting to send you back was just a momentary lapse in judgment."

Louie: "Uh, huh. Hey, have I ever cooked up for you any of my famous bug dishes?"

Olimar: "Your what?"

Louie: "That means I haven't. I suppose I never treated you with one before because you were never very appreciative of my work. Well, then, its time for you to taste gourmet perfection! I cook bugs. It became sort of a hobby of mine at a young age."

Olimar: "Do they taste good? Are you sure they're healthy?"

Louie: "Only the finest for you, Captain. If this doesn't make you finally appreciate me fully, nothing will."

Olimar: "I suppose I'll try a meal. I never thought of eating our kills before. This is an intriguing use for those carcasses."

At this point, there is a long pause, and I become too tired to listen for more. The incessant chattering of the purples and whites in the crowd is becoming too annoying to try to hear over.

Exhaustion overpowers me and I slip into unconsciousness.

* * *

_Another day has come and gone. Has Olimar and Louie's relationship finally been mended? You'll find out... tomorrow! That is, when I get around to writing a "tomorrow". _

_BTW, do you know where the name "Man-at-legs" comes from? It's a play on the phrase "man-at-arms", which means "man carrying weapons"!_

_Oh, and keep the reviews coming. :D_


	3. Pool

_My winter vacation was anything but a vacation. I had very little time to work on this story during it. What with family and homework, I was way too busy. This "day" is shorter than most and I apologize for it being so. You waited so long for its arrival. But, some days in Pikmin 2 are simply shorter than others. Ones where the white Pikmin ventures underground will naturally be lengthier. So, without further ado, I... oh, wait. There is further ado._

_Okay, I should have said at the beginning of this story that there is going to a major spoiler in it. The big spoiler that you will read about is what happens when (in the game) you manage to collect ten thousand Pokos. This little white Pikmin did not come in at the start of the spacemen's adventure. After all, most of the game actually takes place after the debt is repaid..._

* * *

**Day 3**

Morning arrives once more and the floating vessel begins to speak.

Pod: "I have an important update. After rigorous calculations, the likes of which you cannot even begin to comprehend, I have determined that we are only 165 Pokos short of the required ten thousand! Now, if you two stop slacking off and get to work, we may be able to collect enough treasure today to complete our mission!"

The walls of the storage vessel prevent me from hearing the Leaders' reply.

Pod: "Oh, yes you do! In fact, you are wasting time as we speak! Now, stop your blabbering and get to retrieving! We only have all day, you know."

After that, there is silence. I don't know if the Leaders respond, but the floating vessel doesn't speak again and neither Leader whistles in to call some of us out.

Are us whites not going to be needed today? I don't want to spend all day just sitting around! That would be so boring!

But, nothing happens. Not for quite a while.

In my boredom, I count all the Pikmin in the storage vessel. I have to explore every nook and cranny for them, as this place is full of junk and there are cracks to hide in between objects everywhere.

My final count is 83 whites and 49 purples. The search has taken a long time.

I sit back down in the mushroom I slept on last night and try to think of something to do next. However, only a short time passes before the Red Leader's whistle rings through the storage vessel. He is calling for... twenty purple Pikmin.

Darn! What about us whites!

"Am I going to be stuck in here all day?" I complain aloud.

"Shaddup!" I hear another Pikmin reply, but I don't see the speaker. No doubt it is lurking in a crevice between some objects.

A purple Pikmin walks over to me.

"White Pikmin aren't used every day," it says in a somewhat kind tone of voice. "You should get used to it."

"But, it's so _boring_ in here! I want to get out and fight."

"Be careful what you wish for. Think about what you're saying for a moment. Do you know why there are fewer purples in here than whites? It should be obvious, but we tend not to survive as long as everyone else. We're always the first into battle, because we fight best out of all the colors. However, we are immune to none of the world's hazards; fire, water, electricity and poison are all lethal to purples. And on top of that, our bulk prevents us from running as fast as everyone else, meaning that we tend to fall behind while trying to retreat with the Leaders. I'd rather be a white, myself. You are rarely used, except in circumstances that can't possibly be harmful to your health. You mainly shut off poison-spouting pipes and dig up items, but us purples are only used to fight; and every fight involves some risk."

"Then I wish I was a purple! I don't care if my life expectancy is lower. I'd rather have a thrilling, interesting life than one where all I do is clear the area so that others can move on and fight!"

"Well, that's where you and I don't think alike. Yeah, life as a white is far easier... but... on the other hand... you are fed to enemies in extreme emergencies, so maybe I'd rather be a blue... or a yellow... Not a red becau-"

The floating vessel starts speaking again, so I shift my attention. The unhelpful purple Pikmin has lost my interest.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 80 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Aquatic Mine."

A large, round, yellow-and-orange object that has a spike on the yellow side plunges into the storage vessel.

Pod: "Acceptable work. Now, keep moving! You have 85 Pokos to go."

I put my head to the wall of the storage vessel to see if I can hear a reply, but no sound reaches me.

I turn around to wander over to the item that just fell into here. I get about halfway there before... I hear the Blue Leader's whistle! He's calling for twenty white Pikmin!!!

I rush to the exit nozzle and leap out into the... hot, muggy air.

This isn't the place where we were yesterday and not the place where we were the day before either.

I am standing on a large hill of sand with rock walls around three of its four sides. The air is unpleasantly warm and moist. Why, oh, why haven't we returned to the paradise of two days ago that I was only able to get a glimpse of?

The Red Leader is nowhere in sight. Instead, the Blue Leader walks us twenty whites down the side of the hill that isn't walled off. Then we turn right.

We are now headed for a large area that is clearly a recently drained lake. As we walk down the slope into the basin, the ground gets wetter and softer.

As we trudge over the mud, I spot the Red Leader with his army of twenty purples.

A mostly-yellow creature that is already covered with bruises and cuts (no doubt given to it by the purples) jumps into the air and attempts to squash the army by landing on it. The Red Leader, however, has already retreated too far away for it to "land" the attack.

The Red Leader grabs a purple Pikmin and whirls it above his head by its stem. Then, just as the creature comes down, he lobs the purple at it.

The purple Pikmin slams into the creature's face so hard that the creature is bowled over onto its back. It doesn't get up again.

The Red Leader whistles and the thrown Pikmin rejoins the group.

Olimar: -folds arms- "Well, that's that. The area is secured. No Yellow Wollywogs will disturb the white Pikmin as they dig up the treasure."

Louie: "We're actually going to complete our mission! This could be the last treasure!"

The Red Leader directs us (with a few beeps) over to an area of the basin.

My eyes spot something under the mud. All twenty of us dive at a single spot and dig with all our might.

In no time, we have unearthed a big, spiky, cone-shaped thing. We all grab on and carry it, with the help of some of the purples, back to the storage vessel.

The floating vessel lifts off of the storage vessel, sucks up our prize, and then settles back down.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 60 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Fortified Delicacy. You are still 25 Pokos short of completing our mission. Hurry up, why don't you?"

Louie: -head droops- "Aw... We were so close..."

Olimar: -pats Louie on the back- "And we still are. Come. I know where, if we hurry, we can get one last treasure today."

Louie: -head rises- "Really? Where? Are we going down into that cave we discovered earlier today?"

Olimar: "No, Louie. I already told you. We opened up that hole so that we could empty the puddle, remember? I don't want to spend an unnecessarily long amount of time underground. We only need one more treasure. We can get it in the area behind the ship. We broke down the wall to that area a number of days ago. But, it was too late in the day to venture back there. Today, however, I think we have enough time. The area is filled with water, so we'll need blue Pikmin."

The Red Leader dismisses the purples.

Olimar: "I suggest we keep the whites out here with us, though. There is a ledge in back of our ship that I can peer over, but not climb over. I have surveyed the area and there is no treasure in sight, even though my Treasure Gauge reads a treasure back there. We may have to use the whites to dig it out."

As the Red Leader speaks, the Blue Leader stands beneath the blue Seed Hut and calls 80 Pikmin down from it. The blues slide down the long "legs" of the Seed Hut to the ground.

Louie: "Captain, why won't the Pikmin ever come out when there are already 100 down with us?"

Olimar: -shrugs- "There are still many mysteries that have yet to be unraveled concerning the Pikmin. That is one of them."

Louie: -looks at the blue Pikmin- "They're so fascinating..."

Olimar: "Well, we aren't spending much more time in their presence, Louie; so, tell you what: You lead the blue army around to the left and back behind us. I'll stay here with the whites. How does that sound?"

Louie: "What?" -eyes widen- "Really? What if I run into some bugs? You actually trust me?"

Olimar: "I trust you well enough."

Louie: -jumps up and down- "Wow! Thank you! I've never been able to lead the away team before!"

Olimar: "The what?"

Louie: "The... going-out-and-doing-stuff Pikmin."

Olimar: "Oh. Yeah, well... Have fun, I suppose."

The Blue Leader runs off and is followed by the Blue Pikmin.

_What?!_ I think to myself. _The _Blue_ Leader is leaving the _Red_ Leader behind? I didn't think this _ever_ happened! What's going on?_

The Red Leader walks back towards the storage vessel. We (the whites) follow. Then the Red Leader goes around the storage vessel to the left and walks down a small incline between two rock walls.

When we get to the bottom of the incline, the Red Leader looks over a lower part of the far wall. Being white and therefore the shortest type of Pikmin, I cannot see over the ledge, but the Red Leader appears to be watching something. I wish I could see too!

The Red Leader begins to speak.

Olimar: "Louie! Some of your Pikmin are missing and some have lost their flowers! How did that happen?"

I hear the Blue Leader's voice from beyond the wall.

Louie: "I had them swarm a few Water Dumples back near this place's entrance. No problem, Cap. I told some of my Pikmin to carry the bodies back to the Onion. That's why they're missing."

Olimar: "That's great news, Louie. Keep up the good work."

Louie: "What's this? My Treasure Gauge just went off! There's a treasure buried under my feet!"

Olimar: "Okay. I'm throwing the whites over this wall. Call them to you and make sure they don't go in the water."

The Red Leader grabs hold of the Pikmin behind him and throws it over the rock wall. Then he does the same with all the rest of us.

I land with the others on a very small beach beside a pool of water. There is a grassy peninsula that extends into the puddle. The Blue Leader is there. He whistles for the blues to stay where they are (in the water) and whistles for us whites to go to him.

I walk along the peninsula. Then one of my fellows suddenly starts to dig. I take a look at that spot and realize that there is an item under there! I rush in to dig as well.

A little spike pops up. The Blue Leader watches us. As we unearth more and more of the item, he begins to speak.

Louie: "Uh... This thing looks sort of like an... Onion."

Olimar: "Indeed it does. Maybe it is an abandoned one. No color of Pikmin I know resembles its peachy hue."

The item pops out and we begin to carry it.

Olimar: "Okay, Louie. Now, call the Pikmin... Louie! What are you doing?! NO!!!"

Along with my fellow whites, I carry the item... into the water.

The shock and pain of being submerged is instantaneous. Since I breathe through my skin, the water seeps into my body, choking every inch of my writhing form. I scream for help, thrashing about in the water. I only faintly hear the screams of my fellows as they too are suffocated.

Suddenly, I am thrown from the water, not by a Leader, but by a blue Pikmin. The Blue Leader must have directed them to save us!

I land back on the shore, where the water slowly seeps from my hazarded skin. Fellow whites fall around me... but for some it is too late.

I watch in horror as the six whites that were not rescued in time stop squirming. A few small bubbles rise from their bodies, which sink into the mud at the bottom of the lake.

I turn away and cover my eyes. In order not to contemplate how painful a death that would have been, I listen to the Red Leader's shouting.

Olimar: "Louie! You idiot! This is exactly the type of carelessness that prevented me from letting you lead armies before! Why can't I get it drilled into your little brain that only blue Pikmin can walk through water?! You have to be careful and aware of your surroundings, Louie! I'm glad I won't have to deal with your incompetence much longer. That screw-up of yours ended the lives of SIX PIKMIN! These Pikmin have saved my life and our company, and how do you repay them? By killing thirty percent of all white Pikmin in the field! If you were trapped here like I was on my first trip, you wouldn't last a single day!"

I look at the Blue Leader his hands are balled into fists. This is the first time I've seen him really angry.

Louie: "Oh yeah?! Well, I'll bet I could last longer than you here! At least _I_ would have something to eat! I give you a huge menu of every bug recipe I know and you order nothing but a Wollywog burger! Have you no creativity?"

I look back at the Red Leader, who is looking out from over the rock wall. He doesn't look angry anymore. Now he bites his lip and looks to the side.

Olimar: "Well... Uh... You see... I wanted to be cautious. I had never eaten one of your dishes before. It... It was quite a good burger. But... But just because you can cook doesn't mean you can survive here forever!"

The Red Leader is angry again.

Olimar: "We're going home! I notice that, once again, you're not paying attention to the Pikmin. Your blues have carried off the Onion-shaped treasure. They are bringing it back to the ship without authorization!"

Louie: "Authorization, shmauthorization! They're doing their job and I'm doing mine!"

I only now realize what the Leaders are doing. They are fighting. This is bad. If they can't get along, they won't be able to work together to keep us Pikmin alive.

Olimar: "Your job will forever be that of the lowest rank in Hocotate Freight, for you lack the discipline, memory and attention span to do anything else! ...other than cook. You lost an entire shipment of golden Pikpik carrots to a space bunny! No doubt that was a product of your carelessness as well! You're the reason we're in this fix and I've had to get us out of it! All of Hocotate suffered when its biggest company went under; and that company just happened to be Hocotate Freight!"

Louie: "Well, Hocotate sucks! You suck! I'd rather stay here than go back! There are no rules here except the ones you impose! This place is beautiful. I don't care if oxygen is deadly to us; Hocotate is a wasteland without it!"

Just then, the voice of the floating vessel interrupts the two.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 30 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Onion Replica. Mission complete! You have collected over 10,000 Pokos! Now Hocotate Freight will be prosperous and debt-free until the end of time! ...probably. Prepare to blast off! We return to Hocotate triumphantly!"

Olimar: -punches the air- "There you go, Louie! Mission accomplished! Let's go. Throw the whites up to me and lead the blues around."

Louie: -lowers head- "Yes, Captain."

The Blue Leader throws all of us whites back up to the Red Leader, who leads us back in front of the storage vessel. The Red Leader than goes over to the blue Seed Hut, under which is a cluster of blue Pikmin and a circle of blue Pikmin sprouts. He pulls each of the sprouts (which are all bud-bearing) from the ground and dismisses the blues. Then the Blue Leader arrives and dismisses his blues as well.

The Red Leader dismisses us as well and walks over to the storage vessel. I'm still wet from my close call in the water and am eager to get back into the storage vessel where I can rest. And yet... I deliberately get in the back of the line. I want to see if anything else happens with the Leaders. I hope their conflict is resolved.

Olimar: -steps into the light of the Pod- "Come, Louie. We're going home."

The Red Leader is sucked up by the floating vessel.

Clouds of smoke begin to issue from under the storage vessel. Grinding, whirring, clicking noises start coming from it. I get the feeling that it is preparing to move to a new location, like it has every night.

I quickly hop into the entrance nozzle, but the last thing I glimpse is the Blue Leader. He has turned his back on the storage vessel and is walking away...


	4. Wild

_Sorry that took so long. I haven't updated in nearly a month, have I? Well, let's see if I can pick up the pace a bit for the next chapter (which is going to be a long one)._

_This chapter was difficult to write, to say the least, and of moderate length. Although, I did get a little help from the game itself: The Pod's speech at the beginning, yes all of it, is a direct quote from the game. I'm proud of how well I follow the Pod's character. I'm also proud of all the different Pikmin personalities I've come up with, especially because it's starting to get a bit more difficult. This chapter, in particular, featured some toughies, like the random red Pikmin who talks like a knight of the Round Table._

_I notice that other Pikmin fan fics have been flowing onto the 'net recently. That's a good sign. The Pikmin games deserve a lot of respect and tribute. I should read these new additions. In the mean time... If you're reading this, that probably means you've been faithful enough to keep checking back this whole month to see if I've uploaded a new "day". Here's a big "Thank you!" to all those people still with me._

* * *

**Day 4**

I wake up suddenly and find myself lying on the very bottom of the storage vessel's interior. I realize with a shock that all the strange objects and carcasses we have collected have inexplicably vanished!

Many of my fellows have already awoken. They are all just as surprised as I am.

The floating vessel begins to speak. If only I could understand what it is saying, maybe then I would know why this place is bare.

Pod: "Mr. President! You've arrived! My scans indicate this planet is still heavily laden with treasure. We shall make Hocotate Freight the golden, indisputable king of deep-space, long-haul freight! Then everyone will be gaudily clad in gold, like me! ...No. I am unique... and beautiful. Yes. Olimar, I must ask that you take extreme care so as not to insult or endanger our president. For now, where could Louie be? To be stuck on an uncivilized planet with no food at all... I am concerned. You must waste no time in finding him!"

Possibly it is because the storage vessel has been emptied, but I can now hear the Leaders speak from outside.

Olimar: "What? You are 'concerned'! Louie is lost! He must be found at any cost!"

Pod: "According to his rants during the argument you had with him yesterday, he will likely be able to survive indefinitely here. Indeed, I am simply 'concerned', not fearful."

Olimar: -voice begins to shake- "It's my fault he's missing! I'll not have his life on my hands! Why are we in this unknown territory! We should be back at the Perplexing Pool, trying to locate him before he can wander too far away!"

It is then that I hear another voice. This is one I do not recognize.

President: "Oh, come now, Olimar. Louie's perfectly capable of fending for himself. For now, let's put these past squabbles behind us and claim some more treasure!"

Olimar: "YOU WANT ME TO JUST FORGET ABOUT LOUIE!"

President: "Of course! Money doesn't grow on trees, you know... although, in this place, it practically does! _AH_-haaaa!"

Olimar: "B-BUT, YOU CAN'T J-"

President: "I'm the President! I can do whatever I want! Now shut up and get to work!"

I press my head to the inner wall and hear some crunching steps from outside. Someone is walking away.

President: "Honestly, I don't know what to do with him. Doesn't know his place, that one."

Pod: "When he comes back from mauling those Dwarf Red Bulborbs, I'll tell him why we are here. Then we can get down to business. Hopefully those wild punches he's throwing are a way for him to vent his unhelpful anger."

I hear more steps. Whoever had left has now returned.

Pod: "Olimar, you showed quite some disrespect to the President just now. Let it not happen again. Furthermore, I should inform you that we have traveled into this 'unknown territory' simply because we are capable of doing so. With my new upgrades, I can probe larger areas with my sensors. This spot lit up as a real goldmine! We will be able to collect many treasures here, as that is our top priority."

Olimar: "What? Our 'top priority' is to get rich rather than save an innocent life! What kind o-"

President: "Olimar, I'll not have you disagreeing with my decisions. This must be done, for the good of the company. Louie will be fine. We'll find him at our earliest convenience. Now, since I'm leading this little excavation..."

Olimar: "Uh, Sir. No. I'm the leader here. I know how to control the Pikmin better than anyone, plus I have experience in exploration of both land and space. I wasn't made a Captain for no reason."

President: "But, Olimar, I'm the President! That's a higher rank than Captain!"

Olimar: "Oh, and while we're on the subject of the word 'Captain', I... uh... I was wondering if you would... do me the favor of addressing me... by said title. You see, Lou-"

President: "I can call you whatever I like! I could call you Mr. Apple Pie if I wanted to! Oh, darn it. Now I'm starting to get hungry."

Olimar: -sighs- "Well... it was worth a try. Anyway, I still don't get how you expect to lead this expedition. You have never handled even a single Pikmin."

President: "I've been monitoring your progress using the Pod's Internet-streaming video camera. I know how to identify and use every one of the seven Pikmin types."

Olimar: "Uh... There are only five types, Sir, not including the Bulbmin."

President: "Wha- I mean, sure! Of course! I was just testing you!"

Olimar: "Well, I think I'm going to need proof."

The Red Leader's whistle rings out. He's calling for one white and one purple!

I rush to the exit nozzle, desperate to be the white Pikmin that gets to leave. I push another white aside and jump out. I made it!

The area I am in today is colored brilliant shades of brown and red. Dry leaves cover almost every bit of the ground on which I walk and I make crunching noises with every step. The air here is brisk and invigorating, yet sad and joyous at the same time; it's as if this region is giving its last hurrah before going to sleep.

I suddenly notice a shining light coming from somewhere behind me. I look back and see that the entire storage vessel and floating vessel have been coated with a glistening yellow substance. It almost hurts my eyes to look at its smooth, gleaming surface, so I look away.

The Red Leader has called one of each Pikmin type. He makes a few beeps, instructing us to stand in a line.

The Blue Leader is nowhere to be seen. Instead, a new Leader is watching us. He is much more obese than the other two and wears black instead of white. I realize, to my dismay, that he seems to have stolen the little blue light that once resided at the end of the Blue Leader's antenna.

I'm standing in the very middle of the line, next to a purple and a yellow. The Pikmin on the other side of the purple is a red. The one on the other side of the yellow is a blue.

Olimar: "Since you've been watching us, you'll have no difficulty whatsoever putting these Pikmin through their paces. This is your first test: You mus-"

President: "I don't need you to test me! I could tell the Pikmin to attack you right now. In fact, you need to stop doubting me, it's insulting, and I won't tolerate insults, so..."

The new Leader issues a series of commands to us, the translation of which is "Go found knock bubble try build clustered through break of jump thing attack absolute run objects with."

I blink my large, red eyes. Is this some new language that we are supposed to understand or decode? No one else has understood, so we remain standing at attention.

Olimar: -raises eyebrow- "Uh, Sir. That command made no sense."

President: "Of course it did! Any moment now, they will attack you! Then you will know not to disrespect me again! _AH_-haaaa!"

Olimar: "Pikmin always follow orders immediately after they are given, Sir. I am in no danger. Do you even know how to call them to you? It's the most basic and important command."

President: "Bah! I don't need basic training. I'm too advanced for your petty tests. Here!"

The new Leader gives two short beeps in rapid succession. The command: "temporary dismissal". Well, at least he knows one command.

Our flowers glow our respective colors. The "temporary dismissal" command means that we don't have to listen to the Leaders' commands until they call us again. While we are inactive, our flowers light up.

The red Pikmin lies down, the purple kicks a little dust speck around, and the yellow pulls its flower down in front of its face to inspect it. I look at the blue Pikmin. It looks back at me.

Olimar: -rolls eyes- "Sir, that was the exact _opposite_ of the 'call' command. If we're going to get anything d-"

"Have any of you ever seen this new Leader?" the blue Pikmin asks, shifting my attention from the Leaders' conversation.

"I was considering asking the same thing," I reply.

"I never seen 'im before," says the purple, looking over.

"Nor I," comments the red, propping its head upon its arm. "The newcomer's garbs art passing strange. Methinks there art naught of our company who canst answer 'yea' to thy question."

"My analysis is inconclusive," says the yellow, letting its flower whip back up above its head. "I have, however, formulated a hypothesis: We have been led out here, the five of us, as test subjects and messengers. We are to be the first to lay eyes upon this new Leader so that we can then report back to the others of our colors."

"But, what about the Blue Leader?" asks the blue Pikmin.

"Well, he has obviously been replaced by this darker one," answers the yellow Pikmin.

"This guy has no idea how to be a Leader," I say. "He'll lead us all off the edge of a cliff! Why did the Blue Leader abandon us like this? Why did he walk away while we were shifting locations?"

What followed was silence. The four other Pikmin all turned to look at me.

"Ya know some'm we dunno?" asks the purple, towering over me. "Spill it, kid."

"I was the last Pikmin to enter the storage vessel yesterday," I explain. "I saw the Blue Leader turn away from the ship instead of entering it with the Red Leader."

"Pray tell," questions the red, "for what purpose wouldst the Blue Leader abandon us so?"

"I'll bet it was because of their argument that he decided to leave," I finish.

"Yeah," confirms the blue. "It was horrible. No wonder the Blue Leader isn't with us anymore."

"A probable explanation," assesses the yellow. "A predictable concl-"

The new Leader's whistle calls us. We get in a clump behind him, ready to move.

But, then the Red Leader calls us to him and dismisses us.

I walk back to the storage vessel along with the purple.

On reentry, we are swarmed by a mass of all the Pikmin in the storage vessel. Apparently, not only did they hear the new leader through the walls, but they heard the conversation between us five Pikmin as well.

We go into a long explanation of what happened, the purple and I. The rest of the Pikmin watch in horror, mortified that the new Leader is such bad news.

When we finish, screams and shouts break out in the crowd. Some are yelling empty threats at the new Leader beyond the wall, while others are crying about how the Red Leader could have made such a poor partner decision.

Then a voice rings out from the crowd. A white Pikmin is yelling while standing atop a purple Pikmin's head.

"So, what shall we call this purveyor of misfortune?" booms its voice. "Surely he cannot be called the Second Blue Leader. We are undoubtedly at the brink of some dark times, and, because this new Leader wears black, I propose that we refer to him as the Dark Leader."

A rumbling murmur of agreement issues from the crowd, yet is interrupted by the newly-named "Dark" Leader's whistle. He is calling for fifty purple Pikmin.

There is a split-second hesitation among the purples, but that is all their instincts will allow for. Fifty of them file out.

"But, ain't there some'm we can do?" asks a voice from the crowd.

"There's nothing we can do," says another.

"But, we can't just-" begins another before everyone chimes in.

The crowd begins to mill around in a chaotic fashion. I remove myself from the confusion, as some others do as well.

I look back at the swarm. If the Dark Leader can cause such confusion even when only two of us have seen him, imagine what catastrophe will befall... My heart skips a beat. The Dark Leader has already called forth fifty purples! It'll be a miracle if they return unharmed.

"Look at them," says a voice to my right.

I look right and see another white Pikmin. It is looking at the swarm with half-closed eyes.

"How pathetic," it continues in a half-hearted tone of voice. "There is nothing that can be done about the Dark Leader. All this fuss isn't accomplishing anything."

"Well, what do you propose we do?" I say more sharply than intended.

"Nothing, of course," it replies. It then falls backwards onto its back and lies still, with its eyes remaining half-closed. "Nothing..." it repeats.

This leaves me with nothing to do but panic with the swarm, which I would have done had the purples not returned a second later.

I am overjoyed to see them safe! Perhaps the Dark Leader is not as bad as we thought.

But, moments later, I find that I'm going to find out regardless. The Dark Leader is now calling for fifty white Pikmin.

I, along with 49 others, file out.

Pod: "What's wrong, Mr. President? You returned too quickly to have put the purple Pikmin to any use."

President: "When I got to the gate he wanted busted, Olimar told me that I had taken out the wrong type of Pikmin!" -flings arms wide- "The _nerve_ of him! POISON is PURPLE! So, why aren't purple Pikmin the ones that are immune to it! Instead of the powerful, burly purples, I have to use the runty, lightweight _whites_ to get the job done!"

Silence.

President: "WELL!"

Pod: "What... What a tragedy."

President: -nods- "Precisely!"

The Dark Leader turns and walks away from the storage vessel. We follow him. He heads left down a small incline and up another one to the right.

It is here that we meet a number of blue Pikmin who are carrying one of those yellow-and-green creatures back to their Seed Hut.

The Dark Leader stops to watch for a moment. Then he whistles to the blues, calling them to him. They drop the creature and join our group.

The Dark Leader then turns left again and leads us to a bridge across a puddle, which we cross.

We meet the Red Leader, along with a sizeable army of blue Pikmin, on the other side of the bridge. I'm glad to see him; I feel a bit safer with him around.

Olimar: -has hands on hips- "Good. You have the white Pikmin. Now, direct them to that poison-spouting wall."

President: -points at self- "Hey, _I'm_ the one who gives orders around here!"

Olimar: "Then would you please order the Pikmin to break d- What? Why do you have those blue Pikmin with you?"

President: "These Pikmin were wandering off with an animal carcass for no reason. I have saved them from their own foolishness."

Olimar: "I told them to carry that Yellow Wollywog back to their Onion."

President: "Well, in the future you shall be required to consult me before making any such decisions! I can't have you giving out these rash commands to our troops without informing me first."

Olimar: "I know what I'm doing, Sir. Having the Pikmin bring carcasses back to their Onions is how Pikmin are propagated. It's how things work on this planet. I can't simply 'consult' or 'inform' you every step of the way. That would waste too much time."

President: "But, you can, you must and you will! I'll not have you simply using these Pikmin any way you wish. There are more important things at stake, like all that treasure we're going after!"

Olimar: "And Louie, WHO WE WILL NEED TO FIND."

President: "Olimar, this is why you need constant supervision. If I find out that you've been wasting time and energy searching for that former sidekick of yours, I will be forced to discipline you!"

Olimar: "But, Sir, for the sake of efficiency, it is necessar-"

President: -stands right up against Olimar- "DO NOT ARGUE WITH ME, OLIMAR."

Olimar: -backs away slowly- -diverts gaze to ground- "Yes... Sir..."

President: "That's more like it."

When I see the Red Leader hang his head while backing away and speaking weakly, I am fearful again. The Dark Leader seems to have a higher authority than the Red Leader, just as they both have a higher authority than us Pikmin. Will the Red Leader be able to save us if the Dark Leader does something terrible? I fear to imagine it.

The Dark Leader seems to have mastered a number of commands in a short amount of time. He separates the blues from the whites and directs us whites to knock down a root wall that is emitting poison gas.

With fifty of us working, we have it destroyed without difficulty.

Olimar: "Well, the wall's down. I'm glad that little task has finally been accomplished, but it is now too late in the day for us to progress farther forward. Besides, irritable monsters lie ahead and we do not want to wake them so close to nightfall. That could spell disaster for our Pikmin. Let's move back towards the ship. The Pikmin you stopped from returning there have a load they still need to carry."

President: -frowns- "Very well. I approve of this course of action."

The Red Leader begins to lead us back in the direction of the storage vessel, but the Dark Leader cuts in front of him.

President: "I lead."

We are led back to the carcass that the Dark Leader had the blues abandon. When we arrive, he assigns some blues to pick it up again and finish the job of carrying it.

It is at this point that I hear someone say "Hi!" to me.

I look around and see the blue Pikmin that had been in the line with me at the beginning of the day.

"Hi!" I reply, glad to see a friendly face.

"What do you think of the new Leader?" it asks.

"You mean the Dark Leader?" I ask back.

"Is that what he's called?"

"Us whites decided on calling him that. Yeah. The purples too."

"That's a good name. Because he doesn't seem to be very bright!"

We laugh at the joke. "Why did he bring out those purples?" I ask.

"That's one of the reasons I think he's not very smart. He brought all those purples out to meet us in front of the poison wall, but then had to take them all back so that he could get whites!"

We laugh again, although I stop short and say, "You know, this really isn't funny."

"Yeah," replies the blue, "but you can't blame me for trying to lighten the mood. You know, he's actually not too bad. He's gotten a lot more skilled since this morning with commands."

"I've noticed. You think there's hope for us?"

"Why not? In fact, the 'Dark Leader', as you call him... Actually, I think I'll tell the rest of the blues to call him this now. But, anyway, the Dark Leader might not really be that stupid. He learned a lot in one day; he just isn't that skilled yet; he still can't really handle us too well. He'll probably improve as the days go by."

"That's good to hear," I say, relieved.

We arrive back at the clearing where the storage vessel resides.

The Red Leader dismisses us.

"See you later, then!" I say as I part with the blue Pikmin.

"Tomorrow if we're lucky!" it replies as it heads toward the blue Seed Hut.

I enter the storage vessel through its entrance nozzle.

I wander around the floor of the storage vessel and eventually sit down by a wall. I can hear the Leaders talking above us. They have entered their dwelling area as well.

President: "Well, my first day here is over and I must say that the progress we made was unsatisfactory. We didn't get a single treasure! Why didn't you make more purple Pikmin before I came, Olimar? If you had grown 100 by this time, we would have acquired a new item today!"

Olimar: "I had never been to this part of the planet before, Sir. If I had, I would have put in the effort to collect that high-density object by now. And speaking of effort: I must say I am pleased with yours today. You have improved so much since morning. You should be proud of yourself."

President: "Now THAT's what I like to hear! _AH_-haaaa!"

Olimar: "Plus, I have formulated a plan for tomorrow that will get us loads of treasure!"

President: "Music to my ears, Olimar! Perhaps I was wrong about you!"

Olimar: "Now, if you please, Sir, I am quite tired. May I retire to my quarters?"

President: "You most certainly may! Have a good sleep. You've got lots of work ahead of you tomorrow!"

I hear footsteps, among a few other noises that I do not recognize. After that, there is silence.

But, wait. I can still hear something. A muttering noise... It is the Red Leader. He seems to be speaking to himself. Could he be trying to talk in such a way that the Dark Leader cannot overhear?

Olimar: "Captain's Log: dictated entry. Day 73. The President of Hocotate Freight has joined me on this planet, now that Louie, my dear companion, has been lost. It is with a heavy heart that I must assume blame for this occurrence. If I had not treated Louie so poorly, he would likely still be with me today. I am still intent on rescuing him, whether the Pres-"

At this point, the Red Leader's voice seems to catch itself, as if it was speaking too loudly; now it continues, but too faint to discern. I try to listen, as the Red Leader's voice is soothing to my taxed mind, but I can barely hear. After a while of listening, his voice does get slightly louder again.

Olimar: "The President, although seemingly nothing but bad news at dawn, has improved at an unimaginable speed over the duration of the day. He has mastered no less than six commands since morning. He may..."

I strain to hear as the Red Leader's voice gets softer.

Olimar: "...be careless and impulsive, but he's no fool. It felt utterly terrible to be subdued by him today and, if possible, even worse to ingratiate myself with him just now. Under his iron fist, I will find it very difficult to locate Louie on this planet. For now, I can only pray for some miracle to occur by which I might save him. In honor of my lost friend, and because of my newfound loneliness, a loneliness I haven't felt since my first adventure on this planet, I have dubbed this rough new region the Wistful Wild."

The Red Leader finishes. The day is over.

* * *

_Whoo! So... Whaddya think of the PRESIDENT? He may have seemed like an idiot when he first met the Pikmin, but first impressions can be deceiving. He's more like a manipulative dictator! Plus, he has a strange recurring laugh. It's "Ah-haaaa", but with emphasis on the "Ah", rather than the "haaaa". _

_Oh, and if you thought Olimar's ego took a hard blow in this chapter, things are just going to go from bad to worse._

_On the bright side, however, our main Pikmin seems to have made a blue friend. But will this friendship survive? Actually, will these Pikmin survive to have a friendship! Find out tomorrow, when our heroes dive down into the depths of a dungeon, directed by the Dark Leader!_


	5. Room

_That took... a very... long... time. But, HERE IT IS! The fifth day! As promised, it's ridiculously long. Yet, I really shouldn't have taken so long to post it. I have been working somewhat on revising my other work, The Dreamland Story, and haven't been giving this one the attention it deserves. However, I have now realized that completing Through Red Eyes should take priority. Maybe I can make better time with upcoming Days._

_By the way, I fixed the script problems in Day 4 and added something about the ship being golden. Took me long enough to realize the Day needed those changes._

_Also, I do believe another big thanks should be in order for those of you still reading this. I sure hope you're out there._

_Anyway... I'm really proud of how this Chapter/Day turned out. So, enjoy!_

* * *

**Day 5**

My back is stiff after sleeping on the hard floor of the storage vessel, but that does not affect my desire for action. I feel that today shall be filled with adventure. But, maybe I'm just itching for a challenge. The Dark Leader hasn't taken us anywhere interesting yet. Maybe he will today; the prospect of experiencing the challenge of his guidance makes me wonder if I should be excited.

I hear him talking outside the storage vessel already.

President: "So, what is this glorious money-making scheme that you've thought up, Olimar?"

Olimar: "You don't waste any time, do you Sir?"

President: "Nope! And you shouldn't either!"

Olimar: "Well, on the last day Louie was with me, we uncovered the entrance to an underground cave. Louie and I frequently entered underground areas during our excursions and they were always loaded with treasures. I propose that we venture down into said cavern today."

President: "How do I know this isn't just an attempt to find Louie? This is where you lost him, isn't it? So, now you're persuading me to come back here by offering me nonexistent riches."

Olimar: "I would never dream of such a thing! I simply know of a good cave in this area. Louie may be down it; he may not. It is... of no importance to me. Yet, if we do find him, along with many riches, of course, then wouldn't we be killing two birds with one stone? There's no harm in that, right?"

President: "...I suppose it couldn't hurt... But, no funny business! In fact, no business at all! Because I'm the master of business around here!"

Olimar: "Of course, Sir."

Pod: "My scans of the underground passage that you marked on the map, Olimar, have revealed that the optimum number of Pikmin to bring down into those depths would be... 25 red, 20 yellow, 25 blue, 15 purple, 15 white."

President: "What is this! I didn't authorize..."

Olimar: "I've learned to trust it on matters like this. This is standard procedure."

President: "You didn't consult me before doing so! That's strike one for you today, Olimar. Do not disobey my orders again!"

Olimar: "Yes... Of course... Sorry, Sir."

President: "Now, you call the Pikmin from the Onions. I'll get out the ones in the ship's hold."

The Dark Leader's whistle rings out. He is calling for fifteen purples and fifteen whites! I race to the exit nozzle and jump out.

We are back in the area where I last saw the Blue Leader. The muggy air hits me hard and I choke slightly. I look upwards and see that the sky... has turned a strange light-grey color. What could this mean?

Olimar: -bows- "May I lead us to the entrance to the underground, Sir?"

President: "And get a move on, too! We have to come back out by sundown!"

Olimar: "Oh, that reminds me. There's something I should tell you. This planet gives off very strange magnetic currents that run through subterranean lodes. Because of this, we can stay underground as long as we want and still come out without any time elapsing above ground." -turns to lead the way-

President: "I knew that! You waste too much time! MOVE!"

I watch in horror as the Dark Leader kicks the Red Leader hard in the back, knocking him over.

President: "No griping! Get your ass off the ground and lead the way, O leader!"

The Red Leader gets up slowly and starts walking down the slope away from the Dark Leader, who follows. All us Pikmin do too. There are some of every type, but I'm too preoccupied with the Red Leader to count them.

I rush to the front of the group. Since the Red Leader is walking at a slightly slower pace than usual, I manage to get in front of him and see his face. Traces of saltwater have left streaks on his face and his eyes are quivering.

I jump slightly as he looks down at me. His mouth turns up slightly at the sides. It's a smile... He's smiling at me...

He brings his hand to his face, evidently trying to wipe the saltwater streaks away. But, his hand comes in contact with the clear barrier around his head. He stomps the ground and looks forward again.

The sound of the Red Leader's stomp makes me look at the ground. I see that we are crossing a bridge over the drained puddle from two days ago. I am thankful not to have to squelch through the mud again.

We arrive on a sandy bank that leads to a very hard area. I mean, the surface of the area is as hard as stone, but... not like stone. It is bluish and shiny. Something about it makes me feel uneasy. This stuff can't be natural.

We arrive at a hole in the ground. This is it! We must be going underground! Looks like I _will_ get an adventure today!

Olimar: "H-here it is, Sir."

President: "Then let's go!" -looks at the hole again- "Actually, you go first."

The Red Leader and then the Dark Leader jump in the hole. All Pikmin follow.

We fall into a bright blue cave. I blink and look around. The walls and floor are made of that same shiny light-blue material. Yet, the whole place smells... clean. I don't quite understand it.

The Red Leader looks wildly around.

Olimar: "What the... It's WAY too bright in here! How is this possible! We're underground!"

Pod: "If you recall, Olimar... When you destroyed the Man-at-legs and brought back the item it had, I tried to explain to you what the Stellar Orb allowed me to do, but you cut me off. I have modified the item's sun-like qualities to create my Solar System, which lights up underground areas. That is why we can now see so well. No more fumbling around in the dark!"

President: "_AH_-haaaa! Good job! Both of you! Now... Let's get a move on! What have you found to be the best way to start in a situation such as this, Olimar?"

Olimar: "First, I propose we neutralize the electrical nodes surrounding this room... if I can call it a room. But, we must be very careful not to attr-"

President: "I'm on it!"

The Dark Leader calls all the yellow Pikmin to him and runs off toward two small metal spikes that are shooting electricity between them.

Olimar: "You didn't let me finish!"

President: "I know what I'm doing!"

I watch the yellows, which the Dark Leader instructs to attack the metal spikes.

Olimar: "We mustn't attract any enemies! Sir! Watch out!"

A jet of water washes over the yellows attacking the spikes. As each Pikmin is hit, its head is encased in a bubble of water!

I watch helplessly as they all panic. The bubbles are suffocating them! Someone help them!

The Red Leader rushes in, blasting his whistle as loud as he can at the frantic yellows. As each Pikmin hears him, its bubble pops! Amazing!

But, the long-snouted creature that had shot water at the Pikmin is still firing water around and the Red Leader is having a tough time restoring order. With every Pikmin he frees from a bubble, another gets trapped.

President: "I'll handle this, Olimar! You get the blues!"

Olimar: "But, Sir..."

President: "Get them NOW!"

The Red Leader dashes over to us, calls the blue Pikmin and dashes back.

Without a word, the Dark Leader calls the blues to him and tells them all to attack the water-spewing beast.

Olimar: "Sir! No! It's standing right next to electric nodes!"

The Red Leader calls back the blue Pikmin, which are promptly sprayed by the creature. Yet, they walk through the water without suffering bubbles!

Olimar: "We can't let the blue Pikmin get shocked! It's too dangerous for them to attack the Watery Blowhog! The nodes must be shut off befo-"

The Red Leader is suddenly bowled over by a stream of water.

President: "Then I'll do that!"

The Dark Leader calls Pikmin wildly and commands an attack on the metal spikes. They do so, swarming the spikes and whacking them with their flowers.

The Dark Leader proceeds to save every one of the yellow Pikmin from bubbles with extra-loud whistle blasts. I have never heard the Red Leader whistle as loudly.

Then something terrible happens: A blast of electricity connecting the two spikes surges through a number of blue Pikmin. Every blue that is touched by the deadly current is instantly reduced to smoldering ash on the ground.

My eyes widen in terror. But, an instant later, there is a fizzing noise and the metal spikes stop sparking. The Pikmin have shut them down.

And yet, more water from the creature rushes over the Pikmin. The yellows are sent into a panic again.

The Red Leader rushes back into the fray, still recovering from the blast of water that had hit him earlier.

President: "You organize an attack! I'll save the yellows!"

The Red Leader has no time to issue a response. Instead, he calls the blue Pikmin to him and commands them to swarm the creature, while the Dark Leader makes more extra-loud whistle blasts to save the yellows.

The creature rears back on its hind legs, but the Red Leader calls a retreat. The blues jump away from the creature just as it lunges forward, a blow that would have thrown the blues everywhere if they were still attacking. Then the Red Leader beeps "attack" again.

With one final swarm, the blues hit the creature so hard that it falls over, dead.

Both Leaders stare at the dead creature, panting. The blue Pikmin that had killed it pick it up and carry it back to the floating vessel.

The Leaders now look at each other, not speaking. They are still breathing hard.

Without a word, the Dark Leader calls the yellows to him (he had managed to save every single one) and walks across the square area we are in to another pair of sparking metal spikes. He looks past them first, presumably checking to make sure there isn't another water-sprayer around, and then orders the Pikmin to attack the spikes. When the spikes no longer spark, he moves on to the final pair on another side of this square-shaped enclosure.

But, when he arrives at the last one, a shadow appears over the yellows, getting bigger with every passing moment.

Olimar: "SIR! MOVE!"

When the Dark Leader hears the Red Leader's shout, he notices the ever-growing shadow and manages to fling himself out of the way just in time. A few of the yellows aren't so lucky. A huge boulder falls from above, crashing down on and crushing three yellow Pikmin. The boulder crumbles to dust upon contact with the ground. The squashed Pikmin remain flattened. They didn't stand a chance.

Only a short time into this unnatural cave and Pikmin are already dying. This is bad.

The Red Leader seems to release pent-up anger upon the deaths of the three yellows.

Olimar: "Sir, you have to pay attention! Unless you are ALWAYS FULLY AWARE of your surroundings, we'll never get to the bottom of this chasm alive!"

President: -throws out chest- "I can take care of myself, thank you! I don't need your gripe!"

Olimar: "Yes, but can you take care of all the Pikmin! They are our most important allies! Without their unswerving loyalty, I wouldn't be standing here today! They are our saviors and need to be treated as such!"

For a few moments, there is silence, but then...

The Dark Leader commands his yellow Pikmin to attack the Red Leader.

But, before the yellows can even move, the Red Leader gives them the temporary dismissal command.

I sigh in relief. My heart had skipped a beat when the attack was commanded!

Olimar: -smiles- "Let's move on, shall we?"

The Dark Leader makes a huffing noise and calls all the Pikmin to him. We all congregate in a swarm, ready to move.

Olimar: -steps in front of the President- "Well, actually, it would probably be a good idea if I do some scouting before you move in with the Pikmin. I don't want you, or the Pikmin, to be endangered by enemies you have not yet learned how to fight. Plus, my footsteps will dislodge any more rocks from the ceiling that might fall on us. It's a safety precaution. I really don't want..." -looks at the Pikmin- "you... hurt."

President: -frowns- "Hmm. Very well, but don't take too long, Olimar. We've got plenty to do and I don't want to be kept waiting."

Pod: "Me neither!"

President: "Oh, shut up, you!"

Pod: "Sorry, Mr. President."

Olimar: "Okay, well, my Treasure Gauge says that there's treasure in" -points- "that direction; so, I'll take a look and see what obstacles we'll have to get by to collect it."

The Red Leader turns around and walks out of the square area. I hear the sound of falling rocks smashing into the ground. Is the Red Leader okay? What happened? Moments later, I sigh with relief as he reappears.

Olimar: "Okay, I have dislodged the falling boulders in that area, but in order to collect the treasure, we will have to pass an enemy that you don't know how to fight: a Wollywog."

President: "I know how to fight any creature on this planet! I've been watching you do it with the pod's camera, remember?"

Olimar: "But, you have not yet learned the commands necessary for taking down a Wollywog. You have to know how to tell the Pikmin to move out of the way when an attack is coming and you also need to know how to tell them to hold the enemy to the ground, preventing it from jumping."

President: "Fine. Let's make this quick."

The Dark Leader dismisses us temporarily. When he does this, I hear a voice to my left.

"We sure showed that water monster! What did you think of that?"

I look and see the blue Pikmin that I befriended yesterday.

"You could have gotten fried by that electricity!" I respond. "I wouldn't have been too happy after such a dangerous battle. It sounds frightening!"

"Yeah, but I got away. No sweat."

"You were really lucky not to have been hit. I can't bare to think what might have happened."

"Then don't think about it! Trust me. That's the best way. You'll probably have your share of close calls. It's a part of life."

It walks over to me. I look up into its eyes. The expression is thankfully warm.

"Actually, I should ask," it says. "How old are you?"

"This is my fifth day," I reply. "And you?"

"Ninth. But, us blues went completely unused for two of them."

"It must be really terrible when that happens. I'm nearly always itching for action."

"Yeah, I always try to be the first out of the Seed Hut when some of us are called. When I'm lucky, we end up going in places like this." It gestures around at our surroundings.

"I... I don't really like this place," I say, shivering slightly. "It's unnatural."

"Well, I didn't mean lucky for _you_," replies the blue, somewhat devilishly. "A lot of water has come through here. I know you can't detect that, but blue Pikmin can. It's a good sign. The farther down we go, the more likely it'll be for us to find water... and that's where us blues come in. I predict that we'll get plenty of use today."

At this moment, we are called back to attention by the Dark Leader and are led into another area.

Olimar: "Now, remember. When the Wollywog jumps..."

President: "I know what I'm doing! Quit your whining!"

Ahead is a grey creature. It sits between us and a huge, shiny, roughly cone-shaped thing.

The creature spots us and leaps toward us, the jump carrying it above our heads. Immediately, the Dark Leader directs us (with a number of beeps) out of the way of the creature. Then he commands us to rush on the creature and hold it to the ground.

We obey instantly. I run up to the creature and sink my claws into its flesh. Then I whack it repeatedly with my flower. My fellows swarm the creature as well, climbing all over it, digging their claws into it and beating it into submission. The creature makes a lurching movement, attempting to jump out of our grip. We hold it down. It makes another, more frantic attempt at a jump, but it cannot budge. With a croak, it lies still.

Along with a number my fellows, I lift the carcass slightly off the ground and take it back to the floating vessel. Moments later, we are joined by the Leaders and a group of Pikmin carrying the large, shiny object.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 90 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Merciless Extractor."

President: -claps- "_AH_-haaaa! Excellent!"

After this, we repeat the process: The Red Leader explores an area first and the Dark Leader follows with us Pikmin. We fight another grey creature and bring it back to the floating vessel.

Olimar: "Good, now I think we should break the egg beyond the last electric nodes. It's always best to leave the breaking of eggs for last in every sublevel, for a number of reasons."

President: "Very well; I'm going to go with your logic in this case, but in the future you are to tell me your reasoning before we do something; do I make myself clear?"

Olimar: "Uh, but I haven't even told you my reasoning for not breaking the egg unt-"

President: "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

Olimar: "Yes. Yes, of course."

The Dark Leader issues a command to attack an egg (or, at least, my instincts tell me it's an egg) positioned just behind two metal spikes that had been shut off earlier. By the time I get to it, the rest of the Pikmin have already broken it. The smashed egg leaves behind a puddle of yellow goo. The goo looks sugar-packed, but as I already have all the energy I need, I do not touch it, nor do any other Pikmin.

Olimar: -frowns- "That's too bad. It was just nectar and all our Pikmin are still flower-bearing."

President: "Well, let's get a move on! No point crying over spilled nectar! Let's go back to the place where we fought the second Wollywog and break down the root wall."

Olimar: -sighs- "Yes, Sir."

The Dark Leader calls us and leads us into another area where we find a root wall. We are commanded to knock it down and we have it completely decimated in a matter of seconds, revealing a hole in the ground on the other side.

President: "Excellent! Onward!"

Both leaders jump in and we all follow.

The next area is bigger, but not much different. The Red Leader opens his mouth, but the Dark Leader begins speaking first.

President: "I see gas-producing pipes over there" -points- "and a number of bugs over there." -points- "I'll take the white Pikmin and attack the pipes while you take the purple Pikmin and eliminate the bugs."

Olimar: -raises one eyebrow- "I cannot hide my surprise at how readily you devised that plan of action, Sir. But, if I may say so, there are some gaping holes in it. For one, it is always good to have backup when fighting an unknown number of enemies and you have sent me against them with nothing but our fifteen purple Pikmin. Furthermore, you have proposed to leave all the rest of our Pikmin unattended. Unless we have thoroughly established that no hostile creature will find them, it is NEVER safe to assume they will come to no harm while we are gone. And not only that, but I'm, uh, not so sure it's a good idea for us to split up. You, well, aren't... fully trained yet... and..."

President: "I can look after myself just fine, thank you!"

Olimar: "Yes, but can you look after the _Pikmin_? _That's _the question!"

President: "Look who's talking! You wanted backup fighting the big, nasty bugs! As if you really need it. If you can't deal with a couple of critters without my help, then I will have serious doubts about your capabilities."

Olimar: -eyes widen- "Oh, no! That's not what I said at all!"

President: "Then stop complaining! You take way too many precautions, Olimar. It's a waste of time!"

Olimar: "I told you already: Time doesn't matter while we're underground, so better safe than sor-"

President: -throws arms wide- "Why are you still talking! Shut your pie-hole and get to work! I want every bug in this area dead by the time I return!"

The Dark Leader calls all the white Pikmin to him and stomps away from the Red Leader. Where is he taking us? The Red Leader isn't following!

The Dark Leader leads us into another square area of the underground. Here there are a number of round things that are jutting out of the ground and spewing poison gas. The Dark Leader commands us to attack the poison-spewers. We race around, whacking them with our flowers until they stop releasing their poison. It takes a while, since there are so many. I feel grateful for this chance to use some of my energy. Destroying these things is risk-free and really satisfying.

Beyond the poison-spewers is a huge, white, rectangular object. The Dark Leader orders us to pick it up, but we can't. It is too heavy for only 15 of us to lift.

The Dark Leader calls us back to him and takes us back to the floating vessel. He then shouts into the air.

President: "OLIMAR!"

The Red Leader comes running from another area.

President: "Where are the purple Pikmin, Olimar?"

Olimar: "I assigned them to carry back the carcasses. I didn't think you'd approve of me taking the rest of the Pikmin here without your knowledge."

President: "You completed your mission?" -raises eyebrows- Excellent! You may now use the rest of these Pikmin as you wish. I'll only need about ten more to carry back a treasure I found."

Olimar: "So, you found a treasure among the poison pipes? Are you sure you knocked out all the poison pipes, because you mustn't lead any other types of Pikmin through that area if you haven't."

President: "Of course I'm sure! You go get all those bug bodies while I'm gone!"

The Dark Leader calls all the Pikmin under the floating vessel to him. He then talks to us directly. I don't understand why he does this, as we don't know the Leaders' language.

President: "Oh. I don't want all of you. No, go back. I just want ten."

He dismisses us temporarily and speaks to the Red Leader.

President: "Isn't there some way to only call some of them?"

Olimar: "Sure. I'll teach you how to do that now if you want."

My blue Pikmin friend walks over to me at this point, shifting my attention from the Leaders.

"Do you see what's happening with the Leaders?" it asks.

"Not really," I reply. I look back at the Leaders. The Red Leader is talking to the Dark Leader and they are both making commands without targeting any Pikmin.

"The Red Leader is teaching the Dark Leader a new command," explained the blue Pikmin. "They did this a number of times yesterday while we were in a puddle. I figured it out after a while."

"Huh."

The Dark Leader suddenly turns back towards us and calls twenty-five of us to him. I am among them, and since the blue Pikmin I was talking to was right next to me, he gets summoned to.

President: "Excellent! I can perfect this command later, Olimar. Right now, I want to get moving. I don't want to spend all day down here."

Olimar: -speaks slowly- "But, uh... Sir, we can't possibly spend all day down here. I mean, even if we spend hundreds of hours scouring these depths, we will still reemerge in the morning when we departed."

The Dark Leader turns to face the Red Leader, who cringes under the Dark Leader's stern glare.

President: "You know what I mean, Olimar."

The Dark Leader takes us back to the big, white object that we had tried to pick up earlier. He commands all of us to pick it up and carry it back to the floating vessel.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 60 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Sud Generator."

President: "Wonderful, wonderful."

Pikmin continue to arrive at the floating vessel, bringing a steady stream of bug carcasses from another room. Eventually, a large group brings forth a cylindrical object that is mostly black, but with some orange near the top.

The Red Leader returns in time to hear the floating vessel speak.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 160 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Durable Energy Cell."

President: "Well done, Olimar! You see what happens when you follow the plan I laid out? I'll have no more arguments from you, you hear?

Olimar: -opens mouth-

President: "Good. Now, let's find the exit to the next floor. Time is Pokos, you know!"

We walk slowly though the empty final room of the current area. The Dark Leader walks at the front of the group, with the Red Leader bringing up the rear, keeping us together. Boulders fall from the ceiling without warning. We have to tread carefully and dodge out of growing shadows frequently. The Red Leader, I notice, keeps repeating a certain phrase of the Leaders' language.

Olimar: "Watch out!"

He says it whenever we don't react quickly enough to the presence of a falling boulder. It must be a warning to get out of the way.

Olimar: "Watch out!"

A boulder lands so close to the other side of our group, a few Pikmin are knocked over by the shock.

President: -turns around sharply- "Olimar, would you please SHUT UP? It's very hard to concentrate with you constantly shouting warnings from the back of the group."

Olimar: "I only shout them when you aren't being alert enough! I don't think either of us wants to lose Pikmin in this completely barren stretch of the cave."

President: "Why can't we just make a run for the exit? The boulders would never reach the floor in time."

Olimar: "And how do you expect the purple Pikmin to survive a dash? They'll lag behind and get crushed! It's not their fault; they're just not made for running. We need to keep the group together. It's the only way. Besides, pounding footsteps could cause a cave-in in this area and we don't want that."

President: -clenches teeth- "Well, why don't _you_ try leading the Pikmin though here, if you're so confident?"

The Red Leader calls all of us to him and leads us to the hole without harm.

President: -grunts-

Olimar: "Pardon?"

President: -folds arms- "You almost got your troop hit by boulders twice."

Olimar: -mumbles- "Well, it was better than the _nine_ times _you_ nearly let them be hit."

All of a sudden, the Dark Leader comes up behind the Red Leader and pushes him headfirst into the hole. After that, he follows, as do we.

The third area is very different. We start in a smaller room, off of which branch many corridors. There are strange creatures floating through the air here. They are dome-shaped, glowing and translucent.

The Red Leader gets up off the ground and gives the Dark Leader an angry look, but then he is distracted by the strange creatures.

Olimar: "Jellyfloats! Sir, I had to fight some of these in the last area. The way to defeat them is..."

President: "Hold on a moment, Olimar! I didn't see your Pikmin bring any of these creatures' carcasses to the ship's pod. Explain!"

Olimar: "The only way to defeat these creatures is to rupture their skin, but that causes them to burst, leaving nothing behind to turn into Pokos."

President: "Then why bother fighting them?"

Olimar: "Because Jellyfloats like to suck up Pikmin; the bigger ones actually hunt them! They will consume whatever gets underneath them, even you or me! The way you defeat them is by throwing Pikmin on top of them to weigh them down and ground them. Once they're on the ground, you use the swarm command to finish it off. But, you have to be careful, as they can fling the Pikmin off if they don't kill it quickly."

President: -grins- "So, you're saying you have to weigh them down and then swarm them. What's the swarm command?"

Olimar: -demonstrates the swarm command- "It's pretty simple."

President: -grins more widely-

Olimar: "Why... Why are you smiling like that?"

President: "Go... stand... under the big one."

Olimar: -steps backward- "What!"

President: -continues to grin- "You heard me, Olimar. Go stand under that big red Jellyfloat."

Olimar: "But, Sir, no, it..."

The Dark Leader suddenly lunges forward and shoves the Red Leader away from us. The Red Leader falls over and slides across the floor, coming to a stop beneath one of the big, floating creatures.

The Dark Leader immediately calls all the Pikmin to him. I continue to watch the Red Leader; he gets off the ground as quickly as possible and tries to run back towards us, but then there is a loud sucking noise. My eyes widen in shock as the Red Leader flies upward, into the center of the floating creature.

I follow the Dark Leader as he runs toward the Red Leader's captor, which wobbles in the air and then falls to the ground.

The Dark Leader commands us to swarm the fallen creature. We all race at it. I dig my claws into its side and whack it with my flower. Everyone is swarming over it, beating it, until... Strange, clear, cold blood gushes over my hands. The creature has ruptured.

Suddenly, I'm on my back, with no recollection of falling over. I rub my head and look around. Apparently, the creature we were attacking had exploded, spilling globular pieces of it everywhere. The force of the explosion had flung all the Pikmin in every direction. I notice that some of my fellows got their flowers blown off by the blast. Their stems now end in leaves.

The Dark Leader, on the spot where the creature had been not long before, is pulling the Red Leader to his feet. The Red Leader is covered with the creature's clear blood.

President: -furrows brow- "Olimar, I trust you are unharmed."

Olimar: -stands- -glares at President-

President: -bites lip- -looks to the side- "Yeah, well... I know not to do that again."

Olimar: -clenches fists and teeth- "I humbly request that you cease with the foul play, Sir. And, may I add, I do believe that _I_ should be the one to formulate our plans of attack from this point onward." -walks right up in front of President- "Both my suit and a number of Pikmin were harmed in this incident. We shall no longer endanger either ourselves or our Pikmin in order to move at a quicker pace!"

We spend a very long time in this third area. The Leaders venture forth with small Pikmin groups of specific colors. At one point, the Red Leader leaves with all the leaf-bearing Pikmin and comes back with all flower-bearers. Dead creatures come in a slow but steady flow to the floating vessel. Three large items are also brought in. I become annoyed that there is nothing for us white Pikmin to do, and on top of that I have no one to talk to; my blue friend is always out with the Leaders.

At long last, the Leaders call all of us at once. They lead us through twisting passageways, which have varying surfaces from sand to unnatural blue stone. Eventually, we arrive at another hole and continue downwards.

The surfaces in the fourth area are metal.

We land in water so shallow that it barely comes up over my feet. Luckily, this is not a problem.

The Leaders call us to them and we trudge up an incline that the water is flowing down.

Olimar: "According to my Treasure Gauge, we are approaching a treasure."

We stop at a wall.

Olimar: "The treasure should be right here..."

The Red Leader commands us whites to dig, but there's nothing to dig up... And besides, the ground is metal.

President: "Yeah, like that was going to work." -rolls eyes- "It's obviously above us."

The Dark Leader looks upward, grabs the closest Pikmin to him, a blue, and hurls it at a pipe that juts out of the wall above us.

Olimar: "Sir, no! There could be enemies up there! You never throw Pikmin into areas you can't see!"

The blue Pikmin promptly returns, carrying an enormous, and apparently extremely light, seven-pronged leaf.

President: "_AH_-haaaa!" -folds arms- "You see, Olimar? I knew what I was doing."

Olimar: -sighs- "Well, even so... You should keep in mind what I said. What if there was a killer bug in that pipe that was hording the item?"

President: "Right, right... Don't get all worked up over it."

We follow the blue Pikmin back to the floating vessel, which sucks up the leaf.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 10 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Arboreal Frippery."

President: "Ten measly Pokos!"

Olimar: "Greedy much, Sir?"

President: -turns sharply- "WHAT WAS THAT!"

Olimar: -speaks in a small voice- "Nothing."

The Dark Leader frowns, calls all the Pikmin to him and walks back up the slope. We follow, along with the Red Leader.

When we get to the wall we stopped at last time, we turn left, into a low pipe. We come out into a glorious, sandy, grassy area. There are huge white flowers here that have spots on them that change from red to yellow to blue and back to red.

As the rest of the Pikmin emerge from the pipe, a swarm of small flying bugs rises from the ground on the other side of the area. Each bug is red, blue or yellow, but the majority is yellow.

Olimar: "Quick! Throw Pikmin into that flock of Unmarked Spectralids! We can knock them out of the air for nectar and Pokos!"

President: -runs forward- "Well, then what are we waiting for!"

Both Leaders begin grabbing Pikmin and throwing them randomly into the swarm of bugs. The Dark Leader grabs me by the stem and hurls me upwards. I fly through the swarm and grab a hold of a yellow bug, but only with one hand.

The bug immediately tries to shake me off and I nearly get thrown off into the air. Yet, I manage to get a grip on it with my other hand as well. I whack the bug a few times with my flower and it falls to the ground, where I let go.

I notice that I have split the bug open. A gelatinous yellow puddle is now growing under it. I pull the dead bug out of the puddle and carry it to floating vessel, where all the other Pikmin that managed to kill one brought their carcasses. After a short while, the Dark Leader comes, calls us, and brings us back to the lovely area where the swarm was.

One of the large, spotted flowers has disappeared. In its place there is a ring of nine blue sprouts that end in leaves. I realize what they are at once. New Pikmin are being grown right in front of me.

I bask in the warm, bright air for a while. This area is so peaceful, and the Leaders are apparently waiting for the blue sprouts to... mature. When I was growing underground, I remember sucking up nutrients from the ground to grow stronger.

My friend the blue Pikmin walks over.

"You been having fun adventures with the Leaders?" I ask.

"Yeah, this cave is great," it replies happily. "Water's everywhere... plenty to do... Us blues are the most important type in here. In fact, the Leaders are growing more blue Pikmin as we speak."

"I noticed that. But, how? Where did the seeds for the sprouts come from? Does it have something to do with the big flower thing that was here earlier?"

"Yeah, it does. The Red Leader threw a red Pikmin into one of those flowers when the flower's spots were blue. The flower disappeared, leaving nine blue seeds."

"He changed a red Pikmin into nine blue ones?" This is very strange to hear.

"Yeah," explains the blue. "That's how those flowers work. Hey, you yourself were born of a flower similar to that, only it was all white and only produced a single seed for every Pikmin thrown in, up to five seeds, I believe."

Somehow, I am disturbed by this news. Other Pikmin had to be... recycled to create me?

"But, wait..." I reason. "Hey, you weren't there when I was planted. How do you know a white flower produced me like that?"

"All white Pikmin are made that way," continues the blue. "The rest of us can be produced many ways. I was born under the blue Seed Hut, no doubt from the recycled carcass of some bug. It's life. I don't quite get why all this works that way, but I don't waste my time pondering it. The Leaders might know, yet I don't think any Pikmin like us will ever need to."

When the blue sees my doubtful expression, it adds, "Just don't worry about it. You're here and alive. Be thankful for that."

The blue lies down next to me and I hear the Leaders speak.

President: "Well, well, well... This excavation is going rather... well! _AH_-haaaa! Looks like we've passed all the difficult obstacles. Now it'll be smooth sailing."

Olimar: "On the contrary." -sighs- "Rest stops like this are usually the calm before the storm."

After a few moments silence, I see the blue sprouts' buds open up into flowers.

Olimar: "Alright. The new blue Pikmin are ready." -looks at President- "It would save time if you help me as I pull them up."

President: "Very well."

The Leaders pull the blue Pikmin out of the ground. The blues look bewildered at first, but shortly join the rest of us.

"I'm gonna make the newbies feel welcome," says my friend, getting up. "Us blues gotta stick together."

"Okay," I reply as it walks off.

The Dark Leader calls all of us to him and we follow him through a pipe, into another grassy area, through another pipe and to the hole that leads to the next area.

The fifth area is another one that we spend a long time in. Once again I am frustratingly left under the floating vessel while my blue friend has adventures abroad. But, even it has to wait while the Leaders use red Pikmin to clear the way of fire geysers. I only ever see my blue friend when it comes back to the floating vessel, carrying a big object with the other blues.

It is at a point when the Leaders are gone and only yellows and whites are still at the floating vessel that something happens. A round, orange creature floats lazily towards us from a route that the Leaders have not yet explored. I look up at it, not knowing what to think. It floats there for a couple more moments, seemingly considering us. Then it inhales an amount of air and exhales forcefully in our direction.

I am knocked over onto the ground, a horrible sick feeling washing over me. I suddenly feel more tired than I have ever felt in my life. I can feel my flower shrivel up, the petals of it falling around me, along with the petals of my fellows' flowers. Every one of us now bears a leaf instead. I can hear the creature laughing at us. But, as I struggle to get up, I hear something else as well. It's voice of the Dark Leader! I have never been so happy to hear his voice.

President: "WHAT is going on here!"

The orange creature inhales again, but it is suddenly knocked sideways as a purple Pikmin slams into it, thrown by the Dark Leader. More purples land on it as well. Eventually, the creature ruptures and speeds away from us as the gas it had stored shoots out.

As I manage to stand up, I hear a loud clicking sound. I recognize it as how the Leaders call one another in an emergency. The Red Leader used it to call the Blue Leader on my first day.

The Red Leader comes running, followed by the blues and the reds.

President: -gestures at Pikmin- "Look what happened!"

Olimar: "What did you do!"

President: -throws arms wide- "I just killed that Blowhog thing that was spraying these guys with herbicide! YOU left them unprotected!"

Olimar: -folds arms- "YOU wanted to move more quickly! I devised the safest and most efficient plan I could. It's just that some things are hard to prevent. No plan is foolproof. You can't blame this on me!"

President: -points at Olimar- "I can and I will!"

As the Leaders start shouting at one another, I stop listening. I don't find any pleasure in listening to the Leaders when they're like this.

"You feeling alright?" asks my blue friend, walking over. "What happened to your flower."

"The..." I reply. "The flying thing... There was this orange bug. It blew at me. I think it poisoned me..."

My friend gives me a concerned, but skeptical look.

"You're a white," it says. "You can't get poisoned."

"Well, this must have been a different kind of poison, then!" I shout. My fatigue, along with the Leaders' argument, has put me in a bad mood. "Sorry," I add mournfully, looking at the ground. "But... I don't feel well... I need my energy back..."

"Well, _that_ we can do something about."

I look up. "How?"

But, at that moment, the Red Leader calls all of the yellows and whites to him.

"You're probably going there right now!" my friend calls cheerfully after me, as the Red Leader leads us away. "We broke an egg and found some of the yellow stuff! See you when you get back!"

We follow the Red Leader through a number of long hallways of sand and metal. I walk much more slowly than usual. My energy is still very low. We eventually reach a small alcove where there are a couple puddles of yellow goo not unlike the bodily fluids of that yellow flying bug I killed earlier.

I am instantly drawn to the yellow goo. I suddenly have a wild craving for a taste of it. I am possessed by an urge to absorb it into my body.

I do so, along with all the other whites and yellows.

...and my energy miraculously returns! The sugar nutrients of the goo revitalize me and turn my leaf back into a flower!

But, once I get back to the floating vessel... I have to go back to waiting. My blue friend is already gone, probably exploring some distant puddle with the Dark Leader.

The Red Leader turns to leave us. I don't know if he's going to explore alone or if he's off to join the Dark Leader. Yet, just before the Red Leader departs, the floating vessel speaks. This is the first time it has done so (except after sucking up objects) in quite a while.

Pod: "I had hoped you would learn from your experiences with Louie, Olimar."

Olimar: -turns- "What?"

Pod: "Your incessant squabbling has not abated since Louie was lost and Mr. President took his place."

Olimar: "Well, if the President would just let me do what I know is right..."

Pod: "Fighting solves nothing. An alternate method of settling differences must be devised."

Olimar: "Then why don't you come up with a way, if you're so clever?"

Pod: "I am a machine, Olimar. Naturally, the person who created me did not wish to add such an idiotic function as bickering to my programming. I have simply observed the heated arguments that have occurred in front of me. I am no expert, but I can tell that you very rarely make things better by yelling about them. I deal with the facts only; granted I do tend to exaggerate a bit when selling the treasures we find on this planet, but it's all part of my programming. Also, don't you remember what happened last time you had an argument with Louie?"

Olimar: -glares- "You didn't have to bring that up."

Pod: "Perhaps not, but it is in accordance with my point, Olimar. If you ever want to find Louie, you will have to get on better terms with your boss. You can't fool me; I know we're in this cave today because you think Louie might be down here. I admit it is logical to formulate such a hypothesis, seeing as you two found this cave on the day you departed without him."

Olimar: -opens mouth to reply- -closes mouth- -opens mouth again-

President: "Olimar! There you are!"

The Red Leader makes a startled jump and spins around to see the Dark Leader as he approaches with the rest of the Pikmin.

President: "I found the exit-to-the-next-floor that we've been searching for! Call all the Pikmin and follow me!"

The Red Leader then calls us to him! I'm going somewhere! As the Leaders lead us through the cave, my blue friend walks over to me.

"Was I right?" it asks with a slightly smug expression on its face. "I had seen that stuff used before to heal Pikmin."

"You sure were right," I reply, twirling my flower happily. "Hey, you've been gone all day with the Leaders. Have you been beating up bugs the whole time?"

"Yep!" answers my friend proudly. "There's water everywhere in this dungeon! Without us blues, the Leaders wouldn't stand a chance."

"I wish I could be out there like that," I remark enviously. "Whites haven't been used at all in this area. It's really frustrating."

"Sorry, friend." It shrugs. "Nothing I can do about that. It's not like you can come with me..."

I notice the Leaders jump down a hole. We descend to a sixth area.

The sixth area is made up of one very long hallway, with little alcoves on either side of it. Somehow, the Leaders arrive at a plan to take all of us Pikmin at once and push through the hall!

"We're actually moving!" I say gleefully to my blue friend.

"Well, now..." it replies happily. "I hope you see some action this round."

"I'm not just going to see it. I'm going to fight in it!"

And I am right. As if on cue, a purple four-legged bug crawls out of an alcove on the left.

Olimar: "A Munge Dweevil! Sir, quickly, throw whites at its body. Don't let the other Pikmin attack it."

The Dark Leader reaches back behind himself, calling for a white. I rush forward.

Suddenly, the Dark Leader grabs me by the stem and jumps in the direction he was facing, whirling me over his head. His fist crashes into the purple bug, knocking it over and making it expel a cloud of purple smog. As he releases me, I land on the fallen body of the bug. A couple strikes with my flower put an end to its squirming.

As the smog clears, the Dark Leader speaks.

President: -scoffs- "I could've done that without the help of the Pikmin."

Olimar: -wide eyed- "I don't doubt that. However, it was important to keep non-whites away from the poison fumes."

President: -rolls eyes- "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

Olimar: "You also need to keep in mind that if any Pikmin do become poisoned, loud whistle blasts in their direction will cure them."

President: -laughs- "Well, now. That's what I do best! _AH_-haaaa!"

Olimar: -smiles weakly- "Indeed."

I rush back into the group to talk excitedly with my blue friend as we continue to move.

But, few other interesting things happen during our march through the sixth area. At one point, a black bug similar to the purple one, yet with a bigger body, drops from the ceiling and begins to smoke. The Leaders panic and command us all to follow them away from it as fast as possible. I run backwards, matching my blue friend's speed instead of outstripping it, watching as the bug smolders... and explodes!

Yet, it is not until we are nearing the end of the hallway, after putting three new objects (and plenty of carcasses of creatures I didn't get to fight) in the floating vessel, that something strange happens.

As we are walking along, a small brown bug suddenly bursts from the ground in the middle of our group, making a flatulent noise and discharging a cloud of purple gas.

A horrible wave of panic instantly breaks upon us. I watch in terror as my fellows fall to the ground, writhing and squirming, the smog surrounding their bodies. The scent I once welcomed now fills me with rage. Unable to help my stricken comrades, I race at the bug, beating it with my flower. But, its skin is hard. No matter what I do, I can't damage it; I can't even grab a hold of it with my claws. It begins to run away, farting again and expelling more poison. I rush after it, striking it as hard as I can.

Loud whistle blasts echo around the area. I lose track of what I'm doing, disorientated by the whistle blasts. After a few moments of blaring noise, I see the Dark Leader, full of rage, grab one of my fellow whites. Just as he had used me to fight the purple bug, he swings this white over his head and jumps, using it to strike the top of the brown bug with tremendous force.

The brown bug emits a high-pitched squeak of alarm and quickly burrows back into the earth, leaving behind two puddles of yellow goo.

The Dark Leader returns to the Pikmin group, quickly whistling at the Pikmin that were still poisoned. How could there be so few? I realize then that his loud whistle blasts from earlier must have cured most of the poisoned Pikmin. Poison gas is expelled from all the Pikmin the Dark Leader is now whistling at. One quick count reveals that not one Pikmin succumbed. Everyone made it through alive.

But, the Red Leader hasn't moved. His knees rest on the ground, supporting his body instead of his feet. His arms hang limp and his mouth is open.

President: -claps - "Well, that just about clears up this mess. Where were you, Olimar? Wanted to leave it to me I suppose." -puts hands on hips- -smiles smugly- "I do believe some recognition should be in order." -walks over to Olimar- -waves hand in front of Olimar's face- "Helloooooooooo. Some appreciation here. I just saved your precious Pikmin from that bug's disgusting bodily functions! OLIMAR!"

Olimar: -whispers- "It _was_ real..."

President: -folds arms- "Olimar, what is this? You haven't yet shown me any gratitude."

Olimar: -falls forward onto all fours- "Louie told me about a bug like this. I didn't believe him. We argued about it for so long... Why didn't I believe you, Louie!" -cries- "I should have trusted you! I shouldn't have treated you like I did! Louie! I know you're down here! Answer me!"

President: -kicks Olimar over- "I knew it! I knew you were bringing me down here for Louie!" -leans toward Olimar- "Well, I need to make one thing very clear: YOU WORK FOR _ME!_ Do you have any idea what swine that Louie was! HE RUINED MY COMPANY WHEN HE LOST THOSE GOLDEN PIKPIK CARROTS! I'm sorry he didn't die out here like I thought he would! Why else would I have made him accompany you on your mission to get me back the money he lost!"

My eyes are wide now and so are the Red Leader's. The Red Leader doesn't respond. He stops crying, but doesn't get up. He simply stares at the Dark Leader's face.

There is complete silence, even among all of the Pikmin, for a long time.

Finally, the Red Leader rises. With a blank, staring expression on his face, he calls all the Pikmin and leads us to the hole to the next area.

"Wow," wheezes my blue friend next to me. "And I thought getting poisoned was bad."

As we arrive on the ground of the seventh area, the floating vessel says something I'm sure I remember it saying before.

Pod: "Sensors indicate that this is the Final Floor."

This area is made up of a short hallway that leads to a gigantic room. In the room is a colossal beast. It is mostly pinkish-purple and dome-shaped, but with a tan-colored fruit-like thing that hangs from its thin tail. Two eyestalks are the only way to distinguish its front.

President: -eye twitches- "That's a big cloyster."

Olimar: -speaks in monotone- "Bloyster."

President: "Yes. Uh, you're best at dealing with the big enemies, Olimar. I'll let you handle this one, all right? Just call the Pikmin and take care of the big bug."

Olimar: -speaks in monotone- "Yes, Sir."

The Red Leader calls all the Pikmin to him and leads us into the arena where the big creature is. I'm not going to get any time to worry about the Red Leader's condition. It's time to fight another bug ruler!

As the Red Leader walks out into the arena, the beast's eyes and tail suddenly turn red. It rotates on the spot and then begins to slide towards us. The Red Leader frowns and narrows his eyes. Then he starts running. We try to keep up with him as he sprints around the beast. But, no matter how fast we run, the giant keeps turning to face us.

Suddenly, the beast opens its mouth. A number of tentacles whip out of it, but the Red Leader quickly commands us around the attack. We run around to the monster's back, but just as we are nearing the small bulb at the end of its tail, the beast turns to face us again.

As the Red Leader grimaces in frustration, the tentacles whip out a second time. We are commanded to retreat and miraculously evade them again. Then we hear the Dark Leader speak.

President: "Olimar! What are you doing? Get back in there and kill it!"

And the Dark Leader walks out into the arena... When this happens, the monster's eyes and tail turn from red to blue, and it turns towards the Dark Leader instead. We have retreated so far away from the beast, the Dark Leader is now closer to it than us. His eyes widen as the giant moves towards him.

Quickly temporarily dismissing us, the Red Leader runs back toward the beast. As he does so, the Dark Leader seems to come to his senses as well. The Dark Leader sprints by the Red Leader, towards us. When this happens, the monster's eyes and tail turn red again. The Red Leader spins around to run back to us along with the Dark Leader, but he slips and falls on that unnatural light-blue stone that the floor is made out of.

The beast opens its mouth and, before the Red Leader can get away, hits him with its tentacles. The tentacles latch onto the Red Leader and try to pull him into the giant's mouth, but blue electricity suddenly surges from the Red Leader, making the tentacles retract. The Red Leader quickly runs back to us. When he arrives, the monster's eyes and tail become tan-colored again.

It is at this point that I finally get a good look at the Red Leader. As he stands before us, panting, I see that by now he is a complete and utter mess. His face still bears saltwater streaks. His body is covered with mud, scratches and the residue of that floating thing that sucked him up much earlier. Not to mention that blue sparks keep... sparking... from him. His eyes are wild and staring as he addresses the Dark Leader.

Olimar: "My suit's auto-defense system was all that saved me just now." -gabs President's shoulders- "Sir, my suit can't take much more punishment!"

President: -tenses in fear- "C-can't you... Don't you know how to defeat it? That's your job! N-not mine!"

Olimar: "It can lock onto our suits' frequencies... It can track one of us too quickly. Sir, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER TO BEAT THIS THING!"

The Red Leader releases the paralyzed Dark Leader, and calls exactly half of us Pikmin to him. I am included in this half.

Olimar: -speaks in monotone- "You take the other half of the Pikmin. My plan is for us to attack from either side of the Bloyster. We will confuse it. It won't be able to track both of us at the same time. Aim for the bulb on its tail. That is the weak point for all Bloysters. When the tail winds back, call the Pikmin off before it shakes."

The Dark Leader seems to regain some of his composure.

President: "Very well. Let's do this."

The Dark Leader calls the other half of the Pikmin to him and we set off, back towards the giant. The Red Leader leads the way.

As we approach the monster, its eyes and tail turn red again. It turns towards us and begins to move slowly in our direction. The Red Leader quickly runs around it, with it rotating to stay facing us. When we are on the side of it that is now opposite the Dark Leader, we retreat slightly. As we do so, its eyes and tail turn blue, and it turns back towards the Dark Leader. The Red Leader immediately runs forward and throws as many Pikmin as he can up at the bulbous end of the beast's tail. As I land on the tail, it turns red. I beat it with my flower, but am shortly called off of it. Yet, I am called off by the Dark Leader, not the Red Leader.

The tail shakes violently. After it does, the Dark Leader throws me up onto it again, along with more of my fellows. I cling to it and use my flower to strike it mercilessly. It turns from red to blue and I am soon called off once again. I am now back with the Red Leader, who waits for the tail to shake before throwing us back up onto it. The tail assumes a tan color again as all of us Pikmin swarm over it, thrashing it with our flowers. More and more Pikmin cover the bulb, thrown undoubtedly by both Leaders. I grasp the bulb harder as I feel the giant spin on the spot in wild confusion.

Then, it stops. The bulb suddenly becomes slippery and I fall to the floor. I land on my feet and rejoin the Red Leader as he calls the Pikmin to him. White froth is gushing from the monster's mouth. We watch as its shell cracks in numerous places, more white foam spewing from these openings. The beast's dome of a body caves in... and melts... all over the floor. As the body evaporates, only the stem and bulb of the tail are left, along with a strange, grey, shallow cone.

We did it. We won! And we didn't lose a single Pikmin!

President: "We did it... We won..."

Olimar: -smiles- "And we didn't lose a single Pikmin."

We are commanded to carry the tail and the object to the floating vessel. The tail goes in first. When the object arrives, the floating vessel speaks.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 100 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Amplified Amplifier. In addition, scans of this object reveal that it has resonance capabilities, allowing it to amplify sound when tuned to any frequency. Olimar. Mr. President. Stand under me."

Both Leaders go to stand below the floating vessel. There is a flash of bright light and the floating vessel speaks again.

Pod: "I have fitted each of your whistles with a Mega Tweeter. Your commands to the Pikmin will now be significantly amplified."

President: -punches the air- "_AH_-haaaa! As if my commands weren't loud enough already!"

Olimar: "Indeed."

The Leaders now lead us to an exit geyser and take us out.

We land back by the storage vessel, upon which the floating vessel lands once more.

Olimar: -sighs- "I must take the rest of the day off to repair my suit. You can stay out here and explore the area if you like, but don't take any Pikmin with you. There has been enough combat today."

President: -points to self- "I give the orders here, Olimar! And I order you to get back in the ship to fix your suit while I perform an inspection of this area. As for the Pikmin, you must dismiss them to their residences at once. They cannot accompany me."

Olimar: -smiles weakly- "Yes, Sir."

The Red Leader dismisses us.

I follow my fellow whites to the storage vessel's nozzle, saying goodbye to my blue friend as I do so.

All the objects and animal carcasses that we collected today are now inside the storage vessel. A number of my fellows are already having a small dispute as to who and how many of them get to sleep in the shallow cone that came out of the giant beast.

I settle down on the body of one of the small, yellow, flying bugs, one of which I killed earlier in the day. Only one Pikmin can fit on each of these bugs, so I am lucky to get to sleep on one. And within moments, I do just that.

* * *

_For those of you who don't remember, the Doodlebug was indeed mentioned (not by name, though) in Day 1. _


	6. Site

**Day 6**

I am suddenly startled awake by the sound of the Dark Leader's whistle. As the thirty purples that were called file out, I lie back down on the body of the yellow bug. I am surprised I slept so long. The day has already begun.

After a while, I sit up again. The rest of the Pikmin are milling about around the inside of the storage vessel, doing nothing in particular. I unfortunately don't find any amusement in watching them, so I lie back down. Fortunately, it's at this point that I hear the Leaders talk outside.

President: "Just as I thought! Our neglecting this location for a day allowed that mortar shooting thing to set up base right outside, well, _our_ base! It's a good thing you knew how to kill it, Olimar."

I hear the Red Leader give a command, indicating that the body of some creature should be taken to the blue Seed Hut.

Olimar: "Yes, but... I feel like I'm forgetting something. Sir, didn't your exploration of the Perplexing Pool yesterday give you any ideas for expeditions that can take place there?"

President: "Indeed it did! You, Olimar, neglected to search a whole section of that locale before I arrived! We will tackle that distant area tomorrow. But, for now, let us focus on clearing this... What was your name for it again?"

Olimar: "Wistful Wild."

President: "Yes, yes. For now, we should focus on clearing this 'Wistful Wild' of its nasty inhabitants."

Olimar: -sighs- "Very well."

Many crunching footsteps indicate the departure of the Leaders, along with the Pikmin they have with them.

Not wanting to be left with nothing to do, I walk over to the wall of the storage vessel that I know faces the spot where the Leaders were just talking. I press my head up against it and listen.

I hear almost nothing, just indistinct sounds in the distance. I find myself wishing I had a pair of ears like those the yellow Pikmin have. I'd probably be able to hear everything that was going on out there.

Yet, with nothing better to do, I keep my head pressed to the wall, straining to pick up some distant noise. After a while, I do hear something: low gargling roars of some monster or monsters emanating from somewhere evidently very far away. They are joined by a variety of commands from the Leaders, ranging from "attack" to "split into two groups". I am transfixed, listening to the sounds of the battle. Before long, all is quiet again.

I don't move a muscle. Did they win the battle? Crunching footsteps approach, a lot of them. I hear the Red Leader order more items to be taken to the blue Seed Hut. Then, suddenly, a lopsided brown thing drops from the ceiling into the storage vessel. Some of my fellows jump out of the way as it comes down.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 60 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Armored Nut."

President: "Good, good. What do you say, Olimar? Shall we now go finish off those Orange Bulborbs?"

Olimar: "Certainly, Sir. Incidentally, I have a plan for taking care of them. We can't let both Bulborbs attack us at once, but because they are woken up so easily, we will be hard-pressed to deal with each of them separately. However, we passed another poison-emanating wall when we ventured to that clearing where we fought the Creeping Chrysanthemums just now. It undoubtedly leads to the other side of where the Bulborbs lie. My plan is that we use white Pikmin to knock down that wall and then divide our purple Pikmin between us so that we can attack the Bulborbs from either side, making sure they each attack their respective ends of their territory, instead of assaulting us side by side. Do you think you're up to the task?"

President: "Of course I am, Olimar! This plan of yours has my approval!"

Olimar: "Then it's settled. Before I get the whites, however, I should deal with the 48 blue sprouts that have accumulated under the blue Onion today. We need to have as many white Pikmin as possible in the field to break down that wall, but as only 100 Pikmin can be out at a time, we need to make room for those whites by stowing the new blues. After we pluck them, I'll take them to the nectar-filled stones over in that direction so that they can acquire flowers before I dismiss them to their Onion."

President: "...I think I followed that. Okay, Olimar, let's get this over with. No time to waste!"

I hear the Leaders begin plucking Pikmin from the soil. They keep doing so for quite a while. A lot of new Pikmin must have been planted today. When they finally finish, I hear the Leaders walk away with their new troop of Pikmin. Once they are a ways away the Red Leader commands them to break up some rocks, and they do so. A little while later, they walk back and the Red Leader dismisses all the blue Pikmin from his group. Apparently, at least some of the new Pikmin were blues.

The Red Leader's whistle suddenly rings through the storage vessel. He is calling for 70 white Pikmin! I run to the exit nozzle and emerge into the red-and-brown area from two days ago.

It feels great to finally be let outside. The air is fresh and revitalizing.

Olimar: "That should do. Let's go."

The Leaders escort us away from the storage vessel; then, we turn left down a hill, turn right up another hill, left, and right over a bridge. Ahead of us now is an enclosed area where two big black-and-orange bugs lie sleeping.

Olimar: "It's a good thing we eliminated that Withering Blowhog earlier, as it could easily have interfered with this plan. Anyway, now we divide up the purple Pikmin. Fifteen for each of us."

The Red Leader temporarily dismisses fifteen purples and the Dark Leader calls them to him.

Olimar: "Alright, I'm off to knock down the poison wall at the other end. When that is done, I will leave my Pikmin somewhere safe and move to a spot where you can see me at the other end of the Orange Bulborb resting ground. When I give you the signal," -swings right arm downward- "you must run forward and hurl as many purples onto the Orange Bulborb at your end as possible. I will do the same. Be sure to _run_, by the way, as they will wake and stand too quickly if you do not run and throw at the same time."

President: "I did fine with those Creeping Chrysthanemums! Er, Chrythsansethums... Chrysanithemums..."

Olimar: -smirks- "Almost, Sir. It's 'Chrysanthemums'."

President: "Of course! Yes, I knew all along. I was just testing you Olimar. I don't want to attack these big things and have your plan backfire, now do I? I needed to make sure you're right on the money with your skills today!"

Olimar: -rolls eyes while turning to go- "Right..."

President: "Now get going, Olimar. Don't waste any more time. I'll be waiting for your signal."

Olimar: -turns back around- "I'm not the one who's been wasting time, Sir. I was actually just about to leave when y-"

President: "You're wasting time right now! Move!" -points-

Olimar: "Alright, I'm going." -leaves with a grimace-

We turn right, the Red Leader taking us whites and half of the purples around the outside of the enclosure, along the wall that separates us from those big sleeping bugs. We eventually reach a poison-spewing root wall on our left. The Red Leader commands us whites to knock it down. We swarm to it and smack it with our flowers until it is demolished.

We move through into a smaller alcove behind the place where the big bugs are sleeping, across which I can see the Dark Leader. There is a plant in one corner of this small place that consists of a fat, off-white stem poking out of the ground ending in a dome of the same color. In another corner is a hole in the ground that undoubtedly leads to another underground expanse. Are we going to enter this hole today?

The Red Leader dismisses us whites and calls the purples to him. He then positions himself in a place where the Dark Leader across the way can see him. In one swift motion, he makes a swinging movement with his right arm, and then he and the Dark Leader both run at the two sleeping bugs, hurling purple Pikmin at them.

The purples land hard on the bugs. Within seconds, the back of the bug closer to us has been broken by the blows from the Pikmin thrown by the Red Leader. I watch as it writhes in agony and falls, belching up a huge seed as it does so. The bug being attacked by the Dark Leader is still alive, however. It throws some of the purples from its back and dives at two of them, snatching them up in its jaws. But, in the next instant, one purple Pikmin, thrown by the Dark Leader, hits the side of its main body, at the same time as another purple, thrown by the Red Leader, hits it in the eye. The force of these two collisions causes the big bug to spin on the spot and lose its hold on the two Pikmin in its mouth, both of which tumble onto the ground, along with spurts of red blood from the bug's impacted eye. Defeated, the bug joins its motionless fellow.

The Leaders call all the purples together. Six of them are now leaf-bearers.

Olimar: "Well, that's six injuries and no deaths. I must say, a job well done, Sir. There was nearly an incident at the end, but I'm glad you reacted so quickly."

President: "_Ah_-haaaa! I knew I could do it! You see that, Olimar?"

Olimar: "Indeed."

President: "Well then, let's round up the spoils of this victory!"

Olimar: "Right."

The Red Leader commands the purple Pikmin to divide into three groups of ten, two of which are assigned the task of carrying the two bug carcasses back to the place where the Seed Huts are, while the third carries the fat seed to the storage vessel. But, before the twenty purples carrying the bugs can depart, the Dark Leader commands them to carry the carcasses specifically to the blue Seed Hut.

Olimar: -raises eyebrows in surprise- "Sir, how do you know that command?"

President: "You've used it twice already today. I thought I'd try it, since we'll need plenty of blue Pikmin for tomorrow's venture. And, naturally, I got the command right!"

Olimar: "Indeed you did get it right..." -checks the sun's position- -lowers eyebrows- "We don't have much time left today, but we can easily get one more treasure. I discovered a plant that my Treasure Gauge seems to respond to. We should be able to carry it back to the ship with these white Pikmin."

President: "Excellent! Show me!"

The Leaders walk back over to us. The Red Leader then commands us to dig up the rest of the off-white plant, the one growing in a corner of the area we're in, and carry it back to the storage vessel. We obey, but as I dig with the others, I feel disappointed that we're not going into that hole just nearby. But, then the Dark Leader calls us to him, halting our digging. Are we going to go underground after all?

President: "Olimar, why aren't we going into the hole that's right here? Surely there are plenty of treasures within."

Olimar: "The sun's already setting, Sir. We don't have enough time to put together an appropriately proportioned team of Pikmin for tackling these depths and make it back here before nightfall. We'd have to rush everything to get in there before dark and that wouldn't be good. Besides, we need to tend to the purple Pikmin with leaves in addition to getting this treasure back safely. For the sake of efficiency, Sir, would you permit me to heal the wounded purples while you see the whites safely home? I happen to know there is a deposit of nectar on the ledge behind the ship."

President: -nods- "Very well, Olimar. I can handle these white runts. Just make them start digging again."

Olimar: -nods back- "Thank you, Sir."

No, sadly, we're not going into the hole today. The Red Leader commands us to resume our digging so that we can take the plant back to the storage vessel. After he does so, he leaves, walking back through the place where the big bugs once slept. But, he stops partway and starts slowly looking in every direction. I can't figure out why he's doing this, and nor, apparently, can the Dark Leader.

President: "Olimar, what are you doing? Get back to the landing site and help out those purples!" -points-

Olimar: "...Yes... Sir..."

The Red Leader promptly starts walking again. Before long, he is out of sight.

Not long after that, our digging is completed when the plant pops out of the ground, nearly toppling over, but we manage to hold it steady, while ten of us lift it and begin to carry it back to the storage vessel. I am not among these ten.

We follow the Dark Leader as he follows the Pikmin carrying the plant back to the storage vessel.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 30 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Anti-hiccup Fungus."

At this point, the Red Leader walks out from behind the storage vessel, accompanied by the thirty purple Pikmin, all of which have flowers again.

President: "Excellent! How much did we get for the bloated seed, Olimar?"

Olimar: "The Seed of Greed was worth 70 Pokos, Sir."

President: -eyes bulge- "WHAT WAS THAT!"

Olimar: -takes a step backward- "Wait, Sir, I wasn't the one that named it!"

Pod: "Olimar is correct, Mr. President. The seed in question has sucked all the nutrients from the surrounding environment, growing massive and healthy at the expense of everything around it. I did indeed dub it the Seed of Greed, as the name seemed appropriate."

Olimar: -smirks- "Guilty conscience, Sir?"

President: -takes a step backward- "No, I didn't mean..." -suddenly scowls- "Olimar! How dare you speak to me that way! You'll get no more help from me today!"

Olimar: "That's fine, as the sun is already setting. Goodnight, Sir."

President: -steps into the light of the Pod- "Humph!"

The Dark Leader is sucked up into the floating vessel.

Olimar: -looks at the ground- -sighs-

I stand there for a moment, trying to figure out what just happened. It seemed as though the Dark Leader was scared of something that I couldn't see.

My thoughts are interrupted by the Red Leader dismissing all the Pikmin in the area. I join the queue outside the nozzle that leads to the storage vessel's interior and have soon joined the purples and whites inside. I then hear the Red Leader enter above us.

I remove myself from my fellows and listen for more noise from above. I didn't do enough today to be tired. After a while, I hear the Red Leader's voice.

Olimar: "Captain's Personal Log: dictated entry. Day 75. I have made an astounding discovery today. As I was walking back from tackling two Orange Bulborbs, I recognized the huge hollowed-out stump that they had been sleeping in. I realized that I once referred to this Wistful Wild as the Impact Site, the place where I crash-landed when I was first marooned on this planet. The Wistful Wild includes more area than I was once able to access when I called it the Impact Site, and we land in a different spot now, offering a backwards look at the locale. But, the main reason I did not recognize this place when I first set foot in an area I should have remembered was because the climate here has changed an alarming amount since I first left for Hocotate. No longer is everything green and bright; all has changed into a harsh environment where life is a struggle to maintain. ...What a world..."

The Red Leader stops, but I keep listening. Soon he speaks again.

Olimar: "It will be interesting to see what science can say about how the climates of this world change. But, I have no hope of ever leaving this planet guilt-free if Louie cannot be recovered. The irony of it all is that the President has an unnerving amount of skill when it comes to handling Pikmin, something that Louie never managed to acquire. I doubt the plan I executed with the President today to win against those Orange Bulborbs would have gone so well with Louie leading one of the two teams. Yet, the President wanted Louie dead and sent him here with me in the hopes that he would not return. Well, in a sense, the President got his wish, for Louie did not return, and now the President is doing everything he can to make Louie's disappearance permanent... and... it's working..."

The Red Leader pauses again. I hear a sniffling noise before he continues.

Olimar: "I must salvage this innocent, lost life. The President must not be allowed to win this battle. I cannot let the President gain complete control of me as he almost managed to do yesterday. If only there was a way _I_ could control _him_... Telling him the name of the Seed of Greed had a profound effect on him today. Perhaps the key is getting to his conscience... In any case, I'm glad he's already asleep. Louie's life is not the only one at stake here, for I wouldn't put it past the President to attempt another murder if he was angry enough with me..."

The Red Leader breaks off for a third time. I can hear the frustration in his voice as he resumes once more.

Olimar: "..._Why_, though? _Why_ is the President like this? I would be wondering right now what his hidden motives are if I wasn't relatively confident he _has none_. Coincidentally, there is a metaphor here worth noting: He is that Seed of Greed, siphoning life from everything he interacts with, swelling with power... only to be ultimately consumed... by a monstrous bug..."

The Red Leader finishes and does not start up again. I lie down on the floor of the storage vessel, as all the spots on carcasses and objects are taken. If only I could understand the Leaders' speech. If only I could comprehend what was going on between the two. If I concentrate hard enough... maybe... in time... I will be able to learn.

Still lost in thought, I don't know how long it takes me to get to get to sleep.

Olimar: "What am I going to do?"

* * *

_A special thanks to those people who made this chapter possible: SolGardien, my editor, and Sianaris, writer of Our Fair Leader, another awesome Pikmin story that never ceases to inspire me to write more of mine; check it out while you're waiting for my next chapter. -winks-_


	7. Cast

_Man, I haven't updated since LAST YEAR. Well, this time it wasn't really my fault. Day 7 has been complete for weeks, but SolGardien was unavailable for a long time, and since she tends to notice all the errors I tend to make, I didn't want to post before she could view my work._

_So, notes about the Day..._

_Day 7 is a tribute to what is, in my opinion, by far the scariest boss in the game._

_There are many things in this Day that won't be explained until Day 8._

_Also, for those of you who have read Sianaris' _Our Fair Leader_, I should tell you that I am not stealing from her work with an element I am putting in this Day. I've had this story entirely planned out since I wrote Day 4, so the fact that our stories share the aforementioned element is pure coincidence._

* * *

**Day 7**

I reawaken before anyone else.

I toss and turn on the floor of the storage vessel, unable to get comfortable enough to get back to sleep. This really frustrates me, because I can't let myself be woken up again by a whistle in the morning. A Leader may call for white Pikmin this time and I need to be ready to jump out. I wish I could get enough sleep, but now that that doesn't seem to be an option, I rise and walk over to the exit nozzle. I know there's no way to get out of it without a Leader calling us out, but I lie down in front of it, intent on being able to rush out of it even if I'm woken up by the call.

A long time later, just before I could have gotten back to sleep, I hear what I had been waiting for: the Dark Leader's whistle, calling for 40 whites and five purples!

I jump up and practically fall out of the exit nozzle. I quickly get out of the way as 44 other Pikmin exit after me. I don't want to admit it, but I'm tired; I didn't get enough sleep. Yet, I can't let that get in the way of spending the day with the Leaders.

I am back in the area from two days ago, its muggy air still as irritating as ever. It seems as though I'll never be able to go back to that flowery paradise I only just glimpsed on my first day. I look upward in longing, registering as I do so that the sky is now a dark grey. Something's not right here...

We are joined by 55 blue Pikmin. My mood improves as I see my blue friend walk over to me. Its expression is so ridiculously cheerful that I have to comment.

"My, you sure look happy today," I say.

"That's because I am!" sings the blue, dancing around. "Water, water, everywhere! In the land and in the air! You're not a blue if you're not ecstatic on a day like this!"

It seems to be right. Once glance in the direction of the 54 other blue Pikmin is enough to tell that each and every one of them is displaying some degree of delight. I try to find reassurance in this, but can't. I still feel uneasy.

"You okay?" asks my friend, not quite able to change its facial expression to a more concerned one.

"I'm fine," I reply, not completely believing myself. "I just didn't get enough sleep. Wait a moment, the Leaders are talking."

Olimar: "You still haven't told me what your plan for today is, Sir."

President: "Let me tell you a story, Olimar. There was once a big puddle in the far part of this area, then there came a big heat spell and dried it all up... well, most of it anyway. You could have explored that area once the water was gone, but you didn't. Now, it's my job to whip you back into shape."

Olimar: -raises eyebrow- "You seem to have done your research..."

President: -grimaces- "What do you mean by that, Olimar?"

Olimar: -lowers eyebrow- -looks to the side- "Well, I... I just..." -suddenly looks upward- "Sir, what's that noise?"

President: "What?" -looks upward as well-

A strange whistling noise is coming from somewhere, getting louder and louder, while its pitch decreases rapidly.

Then a ball of water about as big as I am tall suddenly splashes down not far away, making the whistling noise stop abruptly.

I whirl around, looking in the air for the source of the water droplet. It had just fallen out of the sky!

Suddenly, I hear it again: a whistling sound, followed by a drop dropping from the sky.

"RAIN!"

I look over at the blue Pikmin, who have all started running around in apparent joy, cheering one word over and over.

"RAIN! RAIN! RAIN!"

My blue friend jumps over to me and shakes me gleefully. "Rain!" it repeats.

"What's 'rain'?" I reply, slightly disturbed as I hear more whistles and more water begins to fall.

"It's what we blues call water that falls out of the sky," answers my friend. "I can't believe I'm actually seeing it! It's supposed to be really rare!"

Suddenly, a huge drop falls into the middle of the group of Pikmin. Luckily, I'm on the outside of the group, because every non-blue Pikmin hit is encased in a bubble of water!

As I shriek in shock, I hear my blue friend murmur, "Oh... no..."

The Dark Leader immediately unleashes such a strong whistle blast that I am nearly thrown off balance by it. I see every suffocating bubble pop. I would be relieved, but the "rain" is coming down even harder now. Drops are falling everywhere.

Then, all order is lost. All non-blue Pikmin start yelling and running in every direction. I join them, not knowing where the next drop is going to hit. I can't think, I just gotta run!

Noise is everywhere. I hear faintly the Leaders shouting and whistling, trying to restore order. Then I feel a terrible, crunching, piercing pain as a drop hits me, but thankfully the suffocating bubble around my head is instantly popped by a strong whistle blast from the Dark Leader. The shock helps me somehow come to my senses. I rush over to the Dark Leader, who is still whistling extremely loudly, calling as many Pikmin as he can towards him, as the Red Leader quickly dismisses them. As I return to the storage vessel, I look behind me. There are few scampering Pikmin left and all the blues are evidently already back in their Seed Hut. The last thing I see before jumping into the entrance nozzle is the Dark Leader getting bowled over by another drop of "rain".

The "rain" doesn't let up. Occasionally, there is a huge bang from above and the storage vessel will shudder as a drop hits it. Eventually, the Leaders' voices can be heard above the pounding. I remove myself from the frenzied chatter of my fellows and listen. The Leaders seem to be back in their part of the storage vessel.

President: "WHAT _IS_ THIS, OLIMAR? WHAT'S GOING ON?"

Olimar: "This is unlike anything I have ever experienced before, Sir! Water droplets falling from the sky! What could possibly be causing this horrendous phenomenon?"

President: "THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING YOU!"

Olimar: "Well, I obviously don't know! Sir, I'm as baffled by this bizarre, seemingly-natural anomaly as you are! Water! Falling from the sky! Surely this is a momentous scientific discovery!"

President: "I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOUR SCIENTIFIC PREOCCUPATION, OLIMAR. DON'T YOU REALIZE THAT THIS WATER WILL FILL UP THAT DISTANT AREA AGAIN?"

Olimar: "Sir, you don't need to be so loud. The falling drops aren't _that_ noisy."

President: "OLIMAR... Darn it... This unheard-of falling water completely ruins my plan for today. How am I supposed to take the purples and whites through _this_ mess?"

Olimar: "Sir... Uh... What _were_ you planning to do with those Pikmin?"

President: "That's for me to know and you to find out!"

Olimar: "But, Sir, now that th-"

There is a loud bang from above and the storage vessel trembles.

Olimar: "...As I was saying, now that these water droplets have begun to fall, I'm _not_ going to find out."

President: "Well, then that's that! _Ah_-haaaa!"

Olimar: "Sir... Sir, if I may, you've been acting very strangely lately."

President: "Oh, really? How exactly?"

Olimar: "For one thing, instead of returning to the ship two days ago, you opted to perform some reconnaissance of the Perplexing Pool. Then, even though your exploration gave you an idea of something that could be done here, we went back to the Wistful Wild yesterday. Now we finally come back here and you tell me a story of environmental intrigue to explain a plan that you have conceived! These are most unlike you..."

President: "WHAT EXACTLY IS SO UNLIKE ME ABOUT THOSE THINGS, OLIMAR?"

Olimar: "Er, uh, it's just that... I mean... Sir, could you please keep it down? You've gotten louder again."

President: "YOU'D BETTER ANSWER MY QUES-"

There is another loud bang from above, accompanied by an even worse wobble of the storage vessel. It is a very unpleasant feeling.

President: "Wow, that's even louder than I am! POD! THIS SHIP HAD BETTER BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND SUCH HEAVY FIRE!"

Pod: "My new gold plating is highly robust, Mr. President. This falling water presents very little threat."

President: "Good, good! Now, Olimar, speaking of things that aren't threatened by this falling water, are the blue Pikmin affected by it at all?"

Olimar: "If anything they seemed excited about it, Sir. I'm certain that they would be able to easily survive outside at this time."

President: "Then let's get going! That distant area should be full of water again by now. We can probably get some work done there with blues alone."

Olimar: "Uh, Sir, I can't help but say you've sort of forgotten abou-"

President: "I'll not have another word out of you, Olimar! We are going to the puddle in the distan-"

Another bang. Another tremor.

President: "Come! Now!"

I hear the Leaders exit the storage vessel. I put my head up against the wall to listen to them outside, but can't discern any noises other than falling drops. Suddenly, another loud bang issues from above, and as my head is against the wall of the storage vessel, the sound is amplified through the metal surface. I fall to the floor and lie there for a while, allowing the ringing in my head to subside.

It is a very long time before anything happens. I find that I am thankful for this extended opportunity to rest. I definitely didn't get a good sleep last night. Even with drops still hitting the storage vessel every once in a while, I manage to get some needed rest.

Eventually, a huge, metal, ring-like thing falls into the storage vessel. It is all wet from the "rain".

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 100 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Massage Girdle."

I faintly hear the Leaders speaking outside, but can't discern any of their speech.

Pod: "Maximum number of blue Pikmin recommended. This falling water is sure to thoroughly flood every underground area. Besides, I highly doubt you'd be able to even _get_ to that distant hole with any other color Pikmin at the moment."

The Leaders continue to speak. Eventually, the Dark Leader says something loud enough for me to hear clearly.

President: "Olimar! We are going down there and that is final!"

After that, I hear nothing more.

"Excuse me," says a voice.

Startled, I roll over on the floor to see who had spoken. A white and a purple Pikmin are standing there.

"We are conducting a survey," continues the white. "How do you feel about these falling drops of water?"

"I don't like them at all," I say quickly, still slightly off-put by the pair's sudden appearance.

The white sighs in response and asks the purple, "What's our standing?"

"Pikmin interviewed: 47," replies the purple in a completely flat voice. "Percent disliking the falling water: one hundred. Percent liking the falling water: zero."

"I suppose there's no point continuing, then," says the white. "Oh, well."

As the two walk off, I roll back over and continue to wait. Many moments pass in silence.

Suddenly, there is a clunking noise from above, followed by a shower of bug carcasses and objects into the storage vessel.

Loud whistles are heard outside, above the pounding of the rain. Then, eight new purple Pikmin enter the storage vessel.

Instantly, the mob of Pikmin in the storage vessel surges toward the eight newcomers. I get up and walk over to see what's going on.

The new purples are huddled around each other, shivering in what is obviously fear, their eyes wide and staring around at everyone else. They were muttering things like "Is it over?", "What now?", "Please tell me it's over..." and "What are you all staring at?", their voices shaking as badly as their bodies.

It's instantly apparent to me that they came from an underground cave, in which they must have had a terrible time. It is instinctive knowledge to Pikmin that time spent underground does not advance in the world above, and the short time it took for the Leaders to leave and come back with these purples indicates that they must have gone underground.

Some of my fellows try to console the purples. Miraculously, this works, and the newcomers are welcomed into our home. But, they remain wide-eyed and after attention does not shift from them for the longest time, I hear one of my fellows ask a question of them I know everyone has been itching to ask, but not worked up the nerve to yet.

"What _happened_ down there?"

Most of the eight squeak in alarm and give the speaker insane, furious looks. One, however, replies, "It is too horrible a tale to impart on common folk..." But, it says it in such a way that makes it clear the Pikmin actually really wants to tell the "tale".

The crowd gathers closer, me among them, intent on hearing the purple's story. Pikmin are saying things like, "Tell us what happened.", "Come on, tell us.", "Please tell your story.", etc.

The one purple in the middle of the crowd seems strangely pleased with all the attention and finally answers, "Oh, very well, if you want to hear it that badly."

The crowd immediately erupts into cries of, "The Pikmin's going to tell it!", "We're gonna find out what happened!", "Everybody, quiet now!", "The story's gonna be told!", "Please, enough with all the noise!", "It's time to listen now!", "We are going to hear it!", "Shut up!", and other similar exclamations until the chatter dies down and the Pikmin can start.

But, there is one more interruption. One of the other eight new purples strides from the now-sitting bulk of the crowd to the center where the soon-to-be-storyteller stands. The intruder is clearly very angry, though it is uncertain why, and bellows, in a rasping voice that sounds like the Pikmin is having trouble using it, "A story can't not have sound effects! Those will be a job of _mine_!"

The interrupted Pikmin blinks, clearly as perplexed as the rest of us as to why the intruder is acting so angrily, but says, very politely, yet sincerely, "Yes, I think that would be a very nice idea."

"Verily," replies the intruder, satisfied.

And so the two Pikmin begin, the rain continuing to crash down on the world outside, occasionally hitting the storage vessel as before.

_It was dark in that underground cavern. The ceiling dripped tiny water droplets, small enough not to cause any damage, but big enough to sting if they hit you. The walls were covered by slow-growing mold, which reeked with the stench of a thousand buried years. And, the floor was mud, squelching beneath our feet. It wasn't the nicest thing to awaken to, I'll tell you that, nor was the first face of a Leader I ever saw, when he pulled us from the ground._

The sound effects Pikmin makes extremely convincing plucking sounds when the storyteller says this.

_This Leader was as wide as they come, with a body of mostly black and two big, staring eyes. It was as if we were staring into the corpse of someone who had been scared to DEATH._

The Pikmin speaks the last word so that it reverberates all over the storage vessel, widening its eyes as it does so.

"Surely that's not the Dark Leader you're speaking about..." remarks one of my fellow whites in the crowd.

"Of course it is," responds the voice of another Pikmin. This one I can't find in the crowd. "What other Leader could it possibly be talking about?"

"Since when has the Dark Leader been known to stare like that, eh?" replies the first, causing a murmur to run through the crowd. I wonder myself why the Dark Leader is being reported to stare in such a way.

"Hey, I just tell it like it happened, folks," says the storyteller over all the babble. "I don't know why this... You called him the Dark Leader? Well, I don't know why he was staring, but we purples down in the bowels of the earth, we called him the Staring Leader, as that was all he ever did. Do you call the other one the Red Leader?"

The crowd gives its affirmation.

"Well, good," acknowledges the storyteller. "Okay, let's continue."

_So, this "Dark Leader" called us to him and led us over to the other guy, the Red Leader. _

The sound effects Pikmin makes noises of the Pikmin squelching through the mud.

_We called him the Red Leader because of the red on his suit, the red of the ball above his head, and the red of his face._

The crowd begins to murmur again and the same white Pikmin pipes up, "The Red Leader doesn't have a red face. What are you playing at, eh?"

"Look, I'm just telling the story as it happened, alright?" snaps the storyteller. "If you think you can do a better job, go right ahead."

"Hey, now, that's not what I'm saying at all," replies the white, arms wide. "I'm just saying it's a bit hard to believe that one of the Leaders actually had his skin change color since the last time we saw him."

"Well, believe it," answers the storyteller, with a kind of fierce finality. "We were born into a world where one Leader stared and the other had a skin condition. That's all we've ever known. Isn't that right!" The Pikmin turns suddenly on a group of purples that had been down in that dungeon. They all squeak in fright and hurriedly agree with the storyteller, who finishes by exclaiming, "There! Now where was I?"

_The Red Leader was accompanied by a group of about forty blue Pikmin, all of which were shivering with terrible fear, not unlike my fellows here_.

The storyteller indicates the group of trembling purples he just confronted to back his story.

_Their eyes were wide like the Dark Leader's and they could barely speak. It wasn't a heartening sight._

_The Red Leader wasn't looking at us when we approached. His face was set and he was glaring through the cracks in a high wall of roots that separated us from a huge circular room... like an arena... As he looked at us twenty new purple Pikmin, his mouth turned up on one side, and he spoke, but not in a language we understood. Yet, we understood the command he gave seconds later for us to break down the root wall. _

_With some trepidation, we executed the command. _

The sound effects Pikmin provides the noises for the wall being torn down.

_As the wall tumbled to the ground, we heard the Red Leader mumbling in his strange dialect. Looking at him revealed that he was shaking as well, but in a different way than that of the utterly terrified blue Pikmin. It's hard to describe, but it was as if the Red Leader was giving off a blazing heat, an impression helped by his red complexion. Suddenly, he stood up straighter than he had so far and shouted something at the Dark Leader, who did not react in the slightest. The Red Leader then gave us this intense look, one that showed his teeth and caused both sides of his mouth to turn up. We had no idea what this meant, nor did we know what would happen when we crossed the threshold into that arena._

_The Red Leader called us to him and led us in._

More squelching footstep noises, except slower this time, come from the sound effects Pikmin.

_It was then that we heard this... whistling sound..._

The sound effects Pikmin makes the sound of something whistling through the air.

_...and two, big, stone cylinders dropped from the blackness above us into the area in front of us. But, before they could roll away, as they fell on their rounded sides, "It" came..._

The sound effects Pikmin makes a lower whistling sound.

_"It" fell onto the rollers before us... huge, translucent, and terrifying... and then we heard its low wail..._

The sound effects Pikmin makes an odd gargling noise that completely ruins the mood of the story. Its face contorts with fury again as it snarls, "I can't not get it wrong..."

The sound effects Pikmin looks around for a moment and its eyes stop on a cylindrical orange thing, the top of which increases in diameter from the rest of it. The item is lying on its curved side. Then it looks over at the dead yellow bugs from two days ago, on one of which there remains a deposit of yellow goo.

The sound effects Pikmin goes over to the bug, smears its own face with the yellow goo, walks over to the orange object, and climbs up onto it.

An unearthly sound fills the storage vessel, a strange, low, gargling, wailing moan that doesn't fade after the sound effects Pikmin finishes, but continues to ring in the air, chilling everyone. The mood of the story has returned in full force and the crowd is more silent than ever, desperate to hear more.

_Even though we purples were fresh out of the soil, we could tell that "It" was not a common apparition, although it immediately became apparent that this beast was what the blue Pikmin were deathly afraid of. They were practically crying with unimaginable fear... fear we wouldn't even have time to experience. _

_"It" seemed to be made of water, yet formed into a... into _an _unwavering shape; it had a bulbous body, to which were connected four limbs, the ends of each inserted themselves into the small holes on the cylinders' unrounded sides; it also had an head, though this was nothing more than a large bump on one end of its body. Because of how "It" was situated on the stone cylinders, it appeared to be in a sitting position._

_Then... "It" started to roll in our direction, using the cylinders as wheels to move across the arena toward us. _

The sound effects Pikmin, who has now absorbed the yellow goo that it had smeared on its face, creates the noises of the beast rolling towards the Pikmin.

_The Red Leader, moving with intense force and precision, swung around, snatching up one of our number, and hurled it at the beast's head. The thrown purple hit its target. The phantasm recoiled, its body shuddering. Then the strangest thing happened to it: "It" seemed to solidify before our eyes, turning a dark purple color. The battle had begun._

_The Red Leader began throwing every one of us at the beast. I was thrown with the others. We thundered down upon "It"s purple surface. Moments later, we were joined by a cascade of the blue Pikmin, each with varying degrees of insanity evident on their faces. We pummeled it with our flowers and, in the case of some of the blues, leaves. But, then..._

_The creature's substance once again became... insubstantial... and its body translucent. It reared upward, flailing its arms, flinging us off like dust. The lucky ones of our number were those that landed on their feet or on parts of the body that did not get hurt easily. However, many landed on their heads... flowers... faces... destroying their flowers to have them replaced by leaves. And, then, "It" began to attack. "It" used its rollers to... roll over us, crushing us into the mud. The Red Leader wasted no time, however. His movements were sudden and wild, but not without a... fantastic exactness... He once again hurled a purple Pikmin straight at our ghastly foe, this time striking "It" in the side. The effect was immediate and identical to the first time "It" had been struck. The beast solidified and the Red Leader began throwing us upon it once more._

The sounds of battle rage from the sound effects Pikmin as the story continues.

_We fought and fought, repeating the same process over and over again, hoping to win a war of attrition. I call it that because our forces were not invulnerable: Those Pikmin that were hurt, with their flowers replaced by leaves, were automatically singled out by the terrible phantasm. Unable to run fast enough to evade "It"s rollers, they were crushed beneath them. And, as our forces dwindled, us slow purples taking even more casualties than the faster blues, the Red Leader had to scramble to get his hands on purples with which he could cause "It" to become vulnerable. All was chaos. Pikmin were running in every direction, desperately trying to evade the beast as it rolled over us. The muddy ground was soon littered with the smashed bodies of those who were not able to escape. But, also, the beast was beginning to strain under our blows. "It"s movements were becoming more and more wild... until..._

The sound effects Pikmin makes simultaneously the noises of water spurting and stone crumbling.

_..."It" lost control of its rollers. "It"s arms broke through them and the stone crumbled onto the ground where it dissolved in the mud. "It" then began to run, but the Red Leader immediately flung one of the remaining eight purple Pikmin at the beast's retreating back. "It" was knocked to the floor, solidly purple once more. And, the Red Leader commanded everyone in the area to swarm "It"s fallen figure and attack at once. With one final assault, we broke the beast's hide._

The sound effects Pikmin makes the water spurting noise again multiple times, each spurt stronger and wilder than the last.

_Purple liquid gushed from holes in the phantasm's outer membrane. We stood back and watched "It"s form shrink as the liquid spilled all over the ground. "It" writhed before us, growing smaller and smaller..._

_"It" was gone._

The storyteller finishes.

There is silence throughout the storage vessel. When it had finished, we were all completely immersed in the story. The sound effects Pikmin, especially, had brought the tale horribly to life. My mind is swimming with pictures of that terrifying, faceless wraith of water.

Another drop of "rain" hits the storage vessel with a terrific BANG, making everyone jump.

"That's it?" says a Pikmin in the crowd, rather rudely in my opinion.

"That was the battle..." replies the storyteller with a sigh. "Yes..."

"There wasn't even anything to bring back to the floating vessel?" persists the Pikmin that had spoken.

"Now that you mention it..." answers the storyteller. It motions to the big cylindrical orange thing that the sound effects Pikmin used in part to imitate the terror's "low wail". "That object seemed to materialize out of thin air not long after the beast was defeated. The Red Leader instructed us to take it to some sort of floating conical vessel. When we released it, it was sucked up int-"

"Yes, yes, we know," interrupts a white Pikmin.

I am annoyed by the insensitivity of the two Pikmin who have so far spoken to the storyteller after it finished. But, what DO you say to a story like this? The storyteller and sound effects Pikmin truly immersed us in the tale, and yet it's not the type of thing that anyone who hasn't truly experienced it can really understand. The fact that everyone jumped when the water drop hit the storage vessel was proof that the recounting certainly scared us, many out of their minds I'm willing to bet... But, as for a verbal reaction? ...I'll just remain silent.

There is a small backlash at the interrupting white, however. Many Pikmin are angry that it had cut off the storyteller. I do agree with what that white said; the storyteller wasn't telling us about anything we haven't done many times before when it recounted taking an object to the floating vessel. Yet, it didn't know that, and there was no reason for that white Pikmin to disrespect it.

Unfortunately, order is lost after this. Pikmin all over the storage vessel begin shouting at one another. I remove myself from the mob as I tend to in moments like this. Pent up emotion from hearing the story seems to have surged forth in the form of anger. I have a small urge to join the others, but I, reasonably I believe, don't do so.

The purple Pikmin's story has posed many more questions than it did answers. Why was the Dark Leader staring? Why was the Red Leader... red? What _was_ that thing they fought down there? And... Oh, no... All those blue Pikmin! My blue friend was surely among them! It wouldn't have missed being outside on a day like this! It might be... dead... And, I have no way of knowing. I have no way of knowing...

As the rumble of the crowd subsides, so does the roar of the "rain" outside, the intervals between drops hitting the storage vessel growing longer and longer. I feel myself drifting off to sleep. I lay back on a strangely comfortable, square, brown-and-tan, flat thing. Everything fades into darkness, into silence, into worry.


	8. Hole

_Yes! Day 8 is here, and I have a number of things to say before you read it._

_1: This Day is almost exactly as long as the infamously long Day 5, which is over ten thousand words alone._

_2: This Day makes a multitude of references to events on other Days, including the Watery Blowhog incident that happened on Day 5._

_3: I have updated my profile! But, if you've been following Through Red Eyes this far, please read Day 8 before viewing my profile, because my profile has a small Day 8 spoiler in it. Yet, there is a lot of information in my profile that you'd probably like to have, so be sure to check it out when you're ready._

_4: Olimar's first encounter with an Antenna Beetle is in this Day. I myself have never actually assaulted an Antenna Beetle with Pikmin. I have always gone after it with a single Leader to make sure none of my Pikmin get ensnared by its call. (In retrospect, this seems highly unnecessary.) Because of this, I ask that you not be harsh on me if something is very wrong about how I portray Antenna Beetles in this Day. EDIT: I have an update on this. Apparently, yeah, I make the Pikmin do the wrong thing when "called" by the Antenna Beetle. Well, the way I did it fits with my story, so I can't alter it. Oh, well; you'll allow me _one_ necessary alteration, right?_

_5: The strategy used on the boss in this Day is neither tested nor recommended. Most of the strategies I have outlined in this story have been good ones to use in the game. (Day 2 is a prime example of this.) But, I have not game-tested the strategy that Olimar uses on this Day's boss. I suspect it might work, but I don't recommend it unless someone wants to test it for me._

_6: I would very much like to know if anyone actually follows along in a Pikmin 2 guide while they read Through Red Eyes, as I suggested at the end of Day 1. XD If you do, and you post a review of this Day, please say so in your review._

_...Alright, I guess that's it. Well, enjoy! And, thanks for reading. _

* * *

**Day 8**

I wake in the morning to find that I am now sharing the thing I slept on with four other Pikmin. I feel slightly groggy, not quite ready to get up. I definitely slept well, though. This brown-and-tan item is very comfortable, which is undoubtedly why so many other Pikmin squeezed onto it with me.

As soon as one of the Pikmin around me gets up, I do so as well. I need to be ready for when-

A whistle rings out! The Red Leader is calling for 20 purples and 15 whites!

I'm ready this time! I quickly hop out of the exit nozzle into the glorious sunshine.

I have arrived! I'm back in the flowery paradise I glimpsed on my first day! The sights! The smells! This world is incredible! Life bursts from every surface.

I am joined by 14 other whites, 20 purples, 15 reds, 25 yellows, and 25 blues. Everyone, except for some of the blues, looks relatively happy to be back in this bright area.

The Red Leader calls us to him. He looks perfectly normal. I wonder what the purple storyteller yesterday meant by his skin being red. But, then I see the Dark Leader, and he doesn't look normal at all. His eyes are horrifyingly wide and blank. Also, he isn't moving and talking as he usually does; he seems so stiff now. What could have done this to him?

We follow the Red Leader to the right, away from the storage vessel. I rush to the front of the group so as to get the best view of my surroundings. The air is wonderful and I feel livelier than I have in days.

I see that each of the other Pikmin colors have a sole Pikmin in front, like myself. Then, I suddenly recognize them: They are the Pikmin from my fourth day, the ones that were first introduced to the Dark Leader as representatives of their respective colors. Yet, as I look to the Pikmin leading the blues, I see a Pikmin that I don't recognize, instead of my blue friend. My eyes quickly dart through the rest of the blues, searching, but my friend is not among them.

...Where could it be? Is it just back in the Seed Hut, or is it...

I hear the Pikmin leading the reds speak, "We will vanquish our foes!"

With a sudden angry fervor, I respond, "We'll get them!"

"We'll crush 'em!" continues the Pikmin leading the purples.

"And then..." says the blue, somewhat hesitantly.

"Victory," finishes the yellow, flatly.

We arrive at a rolled-up collection of wooden materials in front of a small creek. The Red Leader instructs us to unroll the wood to make a bridge. We swarm to the pile and work as a seamless team to build a bridge across the creek. Then, we do the same thing with another mass of wood pieces. This time, however, as we build the bridge, we unearth two damaged pipes in the ground. They look like they once spewed poison into this area. Could the Red Leader have been through here before?

We finish building the second bridge and the Red Leader calls us to him. He then instructs us to follow him while keeping as close to the wall on our right as possible. As I walk, I look upward, and in doing so realize that this wooden wall is actually the base of a giant tree.

We come to a spot where the tree's roots are frail looking and pale. The Red Leader commands us to break down the wall. It topples easily, revealing a cave underneath the tree, in the center of which is a hole that leads underground.

Yes! The Red Leader leads us in! I look backward as we enter the cave. I watch as the wonderful world of life aboveground disappears. Now I journey down into the darker world of adventure below.

The first underground area is a mess of dirt and roots. Immediately when we land, the floor rumbles beneath us, and suddenly a horde of small purple bugs burrows up from below!

Without waiting for the command, we attack. Bugs continue to pop up around us, between us, everywhere. All is chaos for a few wild moments. I run around madly, smacking every bug I see with my flower. There are shrieks of pain and fury all around me...

And, then it's over. The last bug keels over, dead, and we survey the wreckage. The Leaders are both standing against a wall, away from the battlefield. The Red Leader looks astonished; the Dark Leader looks the same as he had aboveground, still wide-eyed and blank.

Once again without receiving any sort of command to do so, we all pick up the bug carcasses and carry them to the floating vessel, which sucks them up, one by one.

When this is done, the Red Leader calls us to him and instructs us to separate into groups based on color. I join my fellow whites, all of which survived the battle, in a small group.

The Red Leader moves to each group, his eyes moving quickly to each Pikmin. Is he... counting us?

Olimar: "Well, this isn't good. If such an alarming attack has already occurred on the first sublevel, we certainly can't expect an easy time traversing this series of underground locales. Looks like we'll never know what might be just around the bend..."

The Red Leader looks sideways at the Dark Leader, smirking as he does so. The Dark Leader's eyes, however, seem to widen even more excessively, and the side of his mouth twitches.

Olimar: "Anyway, I never expected Male Sheargrubs to ever do this much damage. This initial attack has already decreased our Pikmin count. Four yellows are missing in action, along with two blues, though no other Pikmin were hurt. Something tells me we'll need to be perpetually ready for attack here, now and in lower sublevels."

The Red Leader calls us to him again and leads us through the cave. We move through a smaller tunnel, which forks a short way in.

Olimar: "Pod, do you have any data for us that might allow us to determine which path to take here?"

I hear the floating vessel answer from far behind us.

Pod: "I can detect a soft, er, snoring noise, emanating from something down the left tunnel."

Olimar: "Right, then."

We head down the right tunnel. Soon, the ground switches abruptly from dirt to... wooden planks? Surely nothing grows this way...

The tunnels ends in a larger, cubic room, which contains a hole to the next area, and a huge... feather. The Red Leader walks over to the latter and examines it.

Olimar: "A giant feather. This certainly is quite a find."

The Red Leader grasps the end of the feather with both hands and lifts it with difficulty. It is now pointing straight up. He then speaks again, straining slightly to support the weight.

Olimar: "Amazing... It's so light, considering its size."

The Red Leader hands it to a white Pikmin. The Pikmin holds the object's weight easily. I suddenly wish I were the one holding it. The Red Leader then instructs the white, with a series of precise beeps, to take the feather to the floating vessel and return afterward to this exact spot. It leaves at top-speed, somehow carrying the giant item with minimal effort.

When the white Pikmin returns, the Red Leader leads us over to the hole to the next area. But, the Dark Leader suddenly speaks, and in quite a different tone of voice than I am used to hearing from him.

President: "Oli...mar... Treasure Gauge... Still treasure... here."

Olimar: -raises eyebrow- "Oh, yes. Because we _have_ to get _all_ the treasure, don't we? _ALL_ OF IT!"

The Dark Leader recoils from the Red Leader's shouting. He makes a noise somewhere between a whimper and a shriek, shielding his face with his arms.

Olimar: "Just as I thought. Now, come."

The Red Leader jumps into the hole. We follow, along with the Dark Leader. We fall into another world.

It's hard to believe this endless grassy landscape is really underground. I look upward and see brightness above me, but no sun, just light, a "sky" of light. Is that what we fell from? How could we have? And, what _is_ it? I look at my fellow Pikmin and wonder how many others wonder about this sort of thing. I suddenly feel very self-conscious, wondering about wondering and all that.

Olimar: "I don't like the looks of this place. There isn't a single bug to be seen."

The Red Leader calls us to him and begins to walk along a path with stones on each side. There are flowers growing around us, some on the path itself. The Red Leader stops before coming close to a trio of yellow flowers.

Olimar: "Just as I thought." -points at the President- -addresses the President- "Call half of the Pikmin. Put purples first in line. Throw on my command."

Then, something I have never seen happen before happens. The Dark Leader obeys the Red Leader immediately, without doing anything else. It's obvious to me that this is happening, though I can hardly believe it. Yet, the Dark Leader's blank stare... Surely this must be his subdued facial expression.

The Dark Leader calls to us, separating us into two equal groups, each with half of each color. I stay with the Red Leader. Both Leaders command us to line up behind them, with purples in front. The Red Leader then takes a single step toward the yellow flowers.

The flowers are immediately lifted onto the back of a large green-and-blue plant monster. The center flower transforms into a fruitlike mouth while the other two reveal eyes in their interiors.

Olimar: "NOW!"

Both Leaders begin throwing purple Pikmin at the creature. The purples land hard on its body, and, before it can react properly, they have already caused massive damage.

The creature's body shrivels up, shrinking back into the ground as quickly as it had sprung up. Only the bulbous mouth remains.

Olimar: -smiles- "Excellent. That was very efficient."

We are commanded to take the bulb back to the floating vessel. We do so, and then move back along the path.

The path leads to a series of large, open areas, which contain nothing at first. But, then, flowers morph into more of those plant monsters, strange slabs on the ground rise up to reveal unfriendly creatures, bugs zoom down at us from the sky to snatch us up, and while we are carrying a number of carcasses back to the floating vessel, along with a huge red fruit we found at the end of one path, we are ambushed again by another swarm of little burrowing bugs.

The Leaders frantically call us off the items we are carrying and command us to battle the bugs. The insane commotion begins again, but this time it is punctuated with terrific thuds from purple Pikmin the Leaders throw into the fray.

Soon I'm once again standing in the middle of a scene of mass destruction. It is as though there was a sudden explosion of bugs, and now they all lie dead around us.

The bugs have unearthed a large, green from what I can see, triangular thing. The Red Leader views it before counting us as he had the last time little purple bugs swarmed us.

Olimar: "More yellows and blues are missing from our number: four yellows and three blues. The Sheargrubs caught us even more off-guard this time than they did on the first sublevel, but throwing purple Pikmin certainly prevented the death count from growing exponentially. We, or rather I, will need to formulate a way to prevent further suffering from these attacks. Now," -addresses the President- "you direct the Pikmin in taking everything here back to the ship's pod. I'm taking five of the red Pikmin so that I can add to our white Pikmin population with the Ivory Candypop Bud we located earlier. There's an egg near there that will probably contain nectar, so I should be back soon."

The Red Leader calls five red Pikmin to him and departs with them. The Dark Leader commands us to pick up as much stuff as we can and take it to the floating vessel. The two items that aren't carcasses prompt the usual response from the floating vessel.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 190 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Combustion Berry."

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 40 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Taste Sensation."

The Red Leader returns, bringing five new white Pikmin with him. He then commands them to help out with bringing bug bodies back to the floating vessel. I remember what my blue friend had told me about how white Pikmin are made; those reds are no more. But, thinking about my blue friend makes me feel very preoccupied, and I try to put it out of my mind. My friend would have wanted it that way...

When everything is safely sucked inside the floating vessel, the Leaders guide us to the end of the paths, where there is a puddle separating us from a hole to the next area. How are we going to get across this one?

Olimar: "We're going to have to throw all the Pikmin over the rocks on the edges of the path and direct them from this side, as we cannot climb over ourselves."

The Leaders turn and throw us, one by one, over the rocks on one side of the path, into the endless expanse beyond. Yet, they call us from the other side when we are all over and direct us to follow the sound of their beeps while remaining on our side of the rocks as they move along the path and apparently through the puddle. Eventually, they command us to climb over the rocks to rejoin them. We do so, and follow them into the hole.

We drop into another clearly underground area that looks similar to the first one, but seems cleaner somehow. There are even a few flowers growing out of the ground in some places. We are on one end of a rectangular room, some of the walls of which look unstable. There are no bugs in sight.

Olimar: "No bugs in sight. But, this dirt looks like it could easily be the home of a Burrowing Snagret. I have encountered these creatures before, and I know how to deal with them. I will take care of this."

The Red Leader calls all of us to him and walks forward across the rectangular room. When he is halfway to the other wall, the gigantic yellow beak of some creature shoots upward from the ground. As the white head of the creature begins to push itself out of the ground as well, the Red Leader commands us to swarm it and attack.

We all converge on the head. We climb all over it just as it pops out of the ground. I feel myself get raised high up in the air as I attack, whacking the beast's head with my flower. The creature squawks in pain and then emits a long shriek; as it shrieks, it keels over onto the ground.

I let go of the creature and step back to see it in its entirety. The creature's head now has numerous cracks in it, which are leaking dark red blood onto its white feathers. The creature's neck-like body is covered with blue scales, rather than feathers, and protrudes directly from the ground.

Olimar: -smirks- "Perfect. And, it regurgitated something when it fell. See there." -points- "That's treasure."

The Red Leader directs us to carry a long, brown object, which came out of the creature's mouth, to the floating vessel. We leave the giant carcass where it is.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 40 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Meat Satchel."

The Red Leader nods his head in what appears to be satisfaction and then calls all of us to him. He subsequently instructs us to break down every unstable wall along the edges of this room, one by one. It takes a while, but the process is greatly sped up by the size of our group. We reveal small alcoves behind each wall. Nearly every alcove contains something different: the hole to the next area, a white flower, a purple flower and an egg. Two contain nothing at all.

Olimar: "Excellent. We'll use the rest of the reds here, as the Pod originally told me they wouldn't be needed in this dungeon. We still have a staggering abundance of red Pikmin in the red Onion, far more than in any other Onion or the ship's hold. I brought these reds on the off chance that we might be able to use them to increase out white and purple Pikmin populations."

The Red Leader calls the remaining ten red Pikmin to him and leads them to the alcove containing the white flower. He throws five of the reds into it. The flower closes over them, and then, after a moment, spits out five white seeds, which plant themselves in the ground. The flower itself shrinks into the ground afterward. As I watch, each seed pokes a leaf-bearing stem up from the ground. The Red Leader pulls on each white stem, popping five new white Pikmin from the ground. He then repeats the process with the purple flower, throwing the last of the reds in and getting new purples in return.

The Red Leader takes these new Pikmin to the alcove containing an egg. He commands them to break it open. They do so. Yellow goo bursts from the egg. The Pikmin drink it and sprout flowers, before being led over to us by the Red Leader.

As the white Pikmin join our group, I try to think of something to say to them. I think back to what it was like to be as new to the world as they are...

"Hi," I say to them.

They answer back with "Hi"s and "Hello"s.

The Red Leader calls all of us to him and leads us into the hole to the next area.

We fall into a world similar to the one I visited on my second day. The surfaces are metal walkways, suspended over an endless abyss. Just as in the previous two areas, no bugs are in sight.

Olimar: -frowns- "Once again, no opponents can initially be seen. If the natural world had gimmicks, then this pattern would definitely be the gimmick of this dungeon. I suppose we should deal with the electric nodes first."

The Red Leader calls all the yellow Pikmin to him and leads them off to shut off a number of familiar pairs of sparking metal spikes. The yellows break the first pair easily, but when they get to the second, a light-grey, long-snouted creature falls from above and lands in their midst. The creature sprays a jet of water at the Pikmin, but not before the Red Leader calls a retreat, maneuvering the Pikmin out of harm's way.

Olimar: "A Watery Blowhog next to electric nodes. This is certainly familiar." -addresses the President- "Now, it's time for you to learn how to deal with this properly."

I then hear the Dark Leader speak in the way he normally does for the first time today. I turn my head to look at him, but his expression has not changed. His tone of voice does not match his still-blank-and-staring eyes.

President: "No, Olimar. I did it wrong last time. Nothing doing."

Olimar: -raises eyebrow- "Surely you can do something this simple." -lowers eyebrow- "With your loud whistling prowess, you can easily call to save the yellows when they get hit by water. Just attack the electric nodes and regroup whenever the Watery Blowhog fires. That's really all it takes."

President: -folds arms- "Nope; not gonna happen, Olimar. Not worth it. It's a waste."

Olimar: "Oh, really? A waste of what?"

President: "Time, energy, possibly the Pikmin's lives, AND ME."

The Dark Leader shouts the last bit of what he's saying very loudly, though no change to his facial expression occurs whatsoever. The Red Leader jumps slightly, startled by the sudden outburst. After a moment, however, during which the Red Leader appears to be in deep thought, he speaks.

Olimar: "Hm. Very well. I'll take care of it."

The Red Leader leads the yellow Pikmin back to where the creature stands between two sparking metal spikes. It spits water at the Pikmin, but the Red Leader directs them masterfully around the stream and commands them to attack the spikes. They attack, but are shortly hit by a stream of water! There is a moment where the Red Leader rushes to call all the water-encased Pikmin, but then he commands another attack. This time, the spikes break just before the Pikmin are sprayed again. The Red Leader quickly saves them again and returns to us. He temporarily dismisses the yellows and calls the blues to him. He then uses them to battle the creature, commanding them to attack, but commanding a withdraw every time the beast rears up to buck them off. Soon, the blues have won.

The Red Leader commands the blues to carry the creature's body to the floating vessel. He then calls all of us Pikmin to him.

Olimar: "Alright, let's go."

The Red Leader leads us out into the maze of metal walkways. Every once in a while, one of three things will happen: One, we encounter electric nodes, which have to be shut off with yellows; two, another of those long-snouted creatures falls from above, which must be defeated with blues; three, and by far the most common, a small orange bug with black spots falls from above, yet these are always defeated swiftly by our vast numbers.

We find two items during our travels in this area: a small red berry and a large transparent orb with red swirl things in its center.

We take carcasses and items back to the floating vessel at regular intervals.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 20 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Cupid's Grenade."

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 120 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Crystallized Telepathy."

When we are exploring a far corner of the area, a larger bug drops from above. It's green and has a big, circular mouth, which the Red Leader quickly moves us away from. This turns out to be a good call on the part of the Red Leader, because a moment later, the beast spits out a spherical boulder, which would have rolled right over us if we hadn't moved.

The Red Leader orders us to attack. We swarm the creature, which rears up onto its hind legs. The Red Leader calls a retreat, and we step back before the creature lunges forward, a move that would have thrown us off. The creature inhales and the Red Leader calls us away from its mouth before it fires another boulder. We repeat the process, and then again. The third attack renders the creature motionless.

Olimar: "Oh, my... It happened again."

I hear the Red Leader speak, so I look in his direction. He is standing near the front of the creature, next to a large, flat, curved item that is red at the curve but white on its ends. I wonder where the item came from, as I don't think it was there before.

Olimar: "This item unshrunk when it exited the Armored Cannon Beetle Larva's mouth. I have seen this before, bugs releasing items considerably larger than they are when they're defeated. It perplexes me. It's as if these creatures possess a natural version of our ship's storage technology."

The Dark Leader calls us to him and commands us to carry the carcass and item to the floating vessel.

Olimar: "What?"

As I help my fellows pick up the creature's body, I glimpse the Red Leader, who looks surprised by something. The Dark Leader then speaks in his normal voice, which still clashes with his highly abnormal facial expression.

President: "I don't give a damn about your scientific preoccupation, Olimar."

Olimar: "Wait a moment. You said that twice yesterday."

President: "And, you'd better listen to me! No more dabbling about in trying to understand things we don't! It's a WASTE!"

The Leaders begin to follow us, but I can't see the Red Leader clearly enough to interpret his facial expression. We eventually arrive at the floating vessel as usual and deposit our spoils.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 150 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Heavy-duty Magnetizer."

The Red Leader calls us to him. His expression is neutral. He leads us across to the hole to the next area. We enter.

The next area is, as far as I can see, identical to the previous one, minus the sparking metal spikes. The Red Leader says something before leading us through it.

Olimar: "What? This is very strange. My Treasure Gauge is going haywire. Something appears to be jamming it."

Just like in the area above, small orange-and-black bugs fall from above frequently, but then something new drops in...

A strange beetle lands near us. It is a dark greenish-brown color, but has two little purple wings. Its two wings, two long legs, two antennae, and bulbous body, all extend from its snout-like head. But, then something completely unexpected happens: The bug calls all of us Pikmin to it! It's a Bug Leader!

We quickly join it. Glancing back, I see the Red Leader look completely astonished.

A second later, he calls us back, a sudden fervor alight in his face. But, we are called again almost instantly by the Bug Leader. Again and again the two repeat their calls. We turn as fast as we can, running back and forth frantically. We have no choice; we have to obey the Leaders! What can we do!

The Red Leader begins adding other commands to his orders, like "ATTACK", "MOVE", and "RUN", but it's obvious he's just trying to think of something that might stop this madness.

The Red Leader stops for a moment to yell at the Dark Leader, yet in that precious amount of time, the Bug Leader begins to move away with us. What's going to happen now?

Olimar: -addresses the President- "Attack! Hit that bug now!"

It is then that I hear a strange voice speak in the language I understand.

"Come," says the Bug Leader, "and we will live without work, without hardships, withou- EEEEEEEEEE!"

The last word ends in a very bug-like scream, as the Dark Leader appears out of nowhere and punches the Bug Leader in the face! Then the Bug Leader, just as suddenly, jumps up into the air. I look up to see where it went, but it has disappeared!

The Red Leader immediately calls us back to him, but, seconds later, the Bug Leader falls down in front of us and initiates its call again. Yet, even as we move toward it, the Red Leader calls us back, and the Dark Leader sinks another punch into the Bug Leader's head.

The Red Leader orders us to attack, but the Bug Leader springs upward again. There is a moment's pause, during which the Red Leader shouts something.

Olimar: "Get ready!"

The Bug Leader lands, and immediately the Dark Leader smashes into one of its legs. The Red Leader commands an attack at the same instant, and we are upon the Bug Leader in another.

"No!" sputters the Bug Leader, in between its screeches of pain. "Stop! No! Don't fight! You're..."

The Bug Leader lies still.

I step back and stare in horror at what we've done.

We killed a Leader.

We killed a Leader...

I look around at my fellows, and see that all of them are just as shaky and horrified as I am.

Olimar: -grits teeth- "Darn bug... This species must have adapted to deal with Pikmin attacks." -examines the carcass- "It's of the Kettlebug family, but with long antennae. I'll log it as the Antenna Beetle. Ah, look, my Treasure Gauge is up and running again! This bug must have been what was jamming its signal. Surely such a bizarre set of defense mechanisms can't be an accidental..." -addresses the President- "Do you mind? I was studying that!"

While the Red Leader is talking, the Dark Leader commands us to carry the Bug Leader's carcass to the floating vessel. I am still in a state of shock.

President: "Study it on your own time, Olimar. I won't have you wasting anything else."

My state of shock remains for the rest of my time in this area. Things happen around me, but I take no notice of them. I just can't believe what happened.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 120 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Crystallized Clairvoyance."

And, the Bug Leader had promised us a peaceful life...

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 75 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Emperor Whistle."

Yet, the normal Leaders made us kill it. What does all this mean?

I stumble into the hole that leads to the next area.

We land on sand. We are once again clearly underground. The walls are dark stone.

Olimar: "Darn it. My Treasure Gauge is encountering interference again, and I'm getting frustrated with being unable to see any enemies upon arrival in each sublevel."

The Red Leader calls all of us to him and leads us away from the floating vessel. These angular catacombs are quickly revealed to contain two prominent hazards. Puddles impede our travels, blocking off paths, requiring us to backtrack, etc. And, to my delight, poison-spewing pipes block every major intersection of pathways. Destroying the pipes takes my mind off the Bug Leader at last. I'm thankful to be working with poison again; it feels right.

At one point, we meet another of those giants with huge beaks and long bodies that burrow up from the ground. It is the first creature we've seen in this area. Just like last time, the Red Leader seems to know exactly when it is going to appear beforehand, and orders an attack as it first surfaces, once again ending the battle before it really begins. When the creature falls, it coughs up three strange spheres, which are pink, white and green, and are held together by a sharp stick. We carry them back to the floating vessel.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 60 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Triple Sugar Threat."

After that, we resume our trek through this area. We travel for a long time before anything happens, but that which finally does happen cannot have been more unexpected to us Pikmin...

A strange beetle lands near us. It... No, it can't be! It's the Bug Leader! But, we killed it in the last area! How can it be here now!

The Bug Leader calls us to it, but the Red Leader calls us back. The battle of the calls repeats again, but this time the Dark Leader does not hesitate to intervene. He speeds between us, through the Pikmin mass, and lands a punch right between the Bug Leader's orange eyes. But, before the Bug Leader can jump upward like in the last area, the Dark Leader gives it another punch, this time in the leg.

The Bug Leader jumps, but, as it does, its redirected foot comes up to meet the Dark Leader's head. The Dark Leader is knocked to the side as the Bug Leader disappears into the darkness above. He grunts in shock, but stands up again quickly, with no change to his staring facial expression. I notice a long scratch across one side of the clear barrier around the Dark Leader's head.

The Bug Leader falls from above once more, but, this time, its jump apparently wasn't executed very well, and it lands on its head. The Red Leader orders an attack before the Bug Leader recovers, and we instantly swarm it, beating it with our flowers.

"Wait!" sputters the Bug Leader, just like last time. "No! Wait! Stop! Don't..."

The Bug Leader lies still.

I step back and look at my fellows. I'm glad I'm not the only one who's confused; everyone seems to be. We have just killed the same thing twice.

"This was no Leader!" exclaims a yellow Pikmin suddenly. "These 'Bug Leaders' are naught but normal foes masquerading as Leaders!" The yellow continues to speak vehemently as we carry the carcass back to the floating vessel. "Do not take to heart what these villains have said, for they aim to confuse us and take us from the true Leaders without inciting revolt. Do not despair, but be happy they have not taken us into foreign bondage."

"Hey, it ain't like we _could_ revolt even if we wanted to," says another Pikmin, a blue, voicing exactly what I have been thinking.

"Then, you should be doubly glad we are not in the clutches of that fiend!" retorts the yellow.

"But, how do you know that the Bug Leader's promise of a life without hardships was false?" questions a purple Pikmin.

A number of blues chime in with yells of "Yeah!" and "How do you know?".

"Think about where you are!" replies the yellow as the Bug Leader's carcass is sucked up into the floating vessel. The Red Leader calls us to him and leads us down a different path from before, while the yellow continues in exasperation, "What could the Bug Leader possibly offer us down here? We need nutrients! Sunlight can provide this for us, but there is none of that at these depths. We can receive nutrients from our Onions, and I have no doubt that the Pikmin who live inside the metal vessel receive nutrients within it, as that is where every carcass we gather at these depths ends up, but it remains the case that neither of these residences exist underground! The true Leaders have never steered us wrong before now, so-"

There is an outbreak of skepticism from the crowd. I detach myself from the babble, never keen to join in on anything of that nature. Luckily, I hear the Red Leader speak.

Olimar: "A Burrowing Snagret lives here, but its home is next to a puddle. This could prove dangerous, as there is no guarantee that the Pikmin won't land in the water when the Snagret keels over, or, even worse, manages to shake them off. There is one hope, though, and it lies in using our blue Pikmin to save the drowning others if calamity strikes. For this, you will need to learn a new command, as I must organize the attack. You need to learn how to instruct the blue Pikmin to save their fellows."

President: -shakes head- "No, Olimar. I will not learn any new commands."

Olimar: -rolls eyes- "You know, you really shouldn't write off learning new things as wasteful just because of yesterday. Look, the hole to the next area is just on the other side of this puddle." -points- "There is a space between the far wall and the puddle that we could direct the Pikmin across single-file after the battle is won. If we don't kill the Burrowing Snagret first, though, the Pikmin will be at its mercy while crossing that narrow strip of ground."

President: -folds arms- "Well, then, we had better find a different route to that hole, because I'm not going to participate in any command instruction. And, that's final."

Olimar: -grimaces- "Fine. Let's go."

The Red Leader turns around and leads us back to the floating vessel, from which we leave through yet another route.

We are passing through a more open part of the area when the horror returns: A gigantic swarm of those little bugs burrows up from the sandy ground!

There is instant pandemonium once again as each of us immediately attacks whichever bug is closest. After a couple frantic moments of battle, one of the bugs I attack unexpectedly flies up into the air! I suddenly realize that the little purple bugs aren't the only ones in this swarm. The one that just escaped into the air is green, and has wings.

I am suddenly immobilized from behind. I have stayed still for a moment too long, and a purple bug has clenched me in its jaws! I shriek in shock and fear, but before the bug can tear me apart, it falls over dead, beaten by a few of my fellows.

With immense relief, I pry myself from its jaws, and, without a word, continue the assault, thankfully unhurt from the experience.

When the battle had started, the Leaders had begun throwing purple Pikmin into our midst, their thunderous crashes on the sand stunning bugs left and right. Now the Leaders aim high to knock down the flying bugs as well. Every once in a while, one of the flyers is struck in midair, and smashes on the ground beneath a purple's feet.

At long last, the dust settles, revealing the entirety of a bug massacre. I notice immediately that there are less Pikmin in our group than before.

Olimar: -growls in frustration- "Will this siege never end! How are we supposed to get our Pikmin out of here alive if these ambushes continue!"

The Red Leader counts us again, just as he has after every ambush. I do so as well.

Olimar: "Even _more_ are gone this time! We lost one purple, one white, six yellows and four blues." -addresses the President- "See? This is what happens when you don't learn anything new! If you had just cooperated, we would be on the next sublevel by now!"

The Dark Leader speaks again. Why doesn't he stop staring?

President: "It would have been worse if I had cooperated, Olimar."

Before the Red Leader speaks again, I finish my count. We are down to 24 whites, 24 purples, 16 blues and 11 yellows. That's 75 Pikmin in all.

Olimar: -growls again- "Let's get these bugs to the Pod."

The Red Leader commands us to carry everything back to the floating vessel. We do so.

Apparently, the ambush-initiated battle severed some of the foliage in that part of the area, for a purple Pikmin among us effortlessly carries not a carcass, but the stem of some plant that has four leaves on its end. When it has been deposited with the carcasses, the floating vessel speaks in the same way it does whenever it receives an item of interest.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 20 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Science Project."

The Red Leader sighs and then speaks.

Olimar: "Well, at least that wasn't a _complete_ waste."

The Red Leader gives the Dark Leader a look that seems almost... exasperated... if I'm interpreting that correctly. He then calls us to him again and leads us off again.

After we cross the ambush site, we are blocked by an unstable wall of roots, the like of which we have seen many times before now.

We break it down on command, revealing a large open space that contains nothing but a spotted white flower, the spots of which chance color frequently, and a big spotted bug. The bug is orange with black spots, and apparently asleep.

Olimar: "Call half of the Pikmin to you. Put purples in the front and run at the Orange Bulborb when I do. Begin throwing Pikmin when I do."

The Dark Leader calls half of us Pikmin to him. He then commands the purples to stand right behind him, as does the Red Leader. Then, both run at the sleeping bug, and both begin throwing purples at it when they get close enough to hit it.

The bug snaps awake, but is immediately bombarded. The first few purples deliver a crushing concussion to its head, and the rest make sure it won't wake again.

Olimar: "Well, that was quick. Good."

The Red Leader calls one of the yellow Pikmin to him, walks over to the big flower, and, as its spots change yellow, throws the Pikmin into it. The flower closes on the Pikmin and then spits out nine yellow seeds, which pant themselves in the ground. As the flower shrinks into the ground, the seeds sprout leaf-bearing stems.

Olimar: "Alright, I'm going to take the Bulborb back to the floating vessel, along with the item behind it. You are to stay here to wait until the yellow Pikmin flower. Bring them to the Pod when they have done so."

There is a pause while the Red Leader looks at the Dark Leader.

Olimar: -raises eyebrows- "Is that clear? Give me some sign that you heard me."

The Dark Leader turns and walks over to the growing yellows.

Olimar: "Er, alright. I'll see you then."

The Red Leader calls all of us to him and instructs us to carry the big bug, and an item that he reveals to be behind it, back to the floating vessel.

Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 120 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Stupendous Lens."

Olimar: "Pod, give me my log recording device. I cannot wait until tonight."

There is a sudden clunking noise, and something very small falls out of the floating vessel. The Red Leader picks it up before I can get a good look at it and begins to speak into it.

Olimar: "Captain's Personal Log: supplemental dictated entry. Day 77. It has been difficult for me to maintain a grasp of today. In biological news, I have come into contact with a new breed of bug that I have dubbed the Antenna Beetle. This species possesses a more sophisticated form of defense against Pikmin attack. It has the ability to call the Pikmin from our custody by emitting a sound frequency similar to that of my whistle. And, if I'm not much mistaken, it even spoke to the Pikmin as they were beating it to death. What it said, I could not make out, but it can't have been good. I noticed that the Pikmin had strange looks about them when we killed the first one. It wasn't a reassuring sight."

The Red Leader makes a worried glance in our direction before continuing.

Olimar: "As for the President, his attitude has changed dramatically since yesterday's events. No longer tyrannical, he has become more like a concentrated mass of skill, satisfyingly perfect for carrying out my search-and-rescue operation. There have been a few problems, however. He needed an extra reminder of yesterday's events on this dungeon's first sublevel. And, there is the most frustrating development of him no longer being willing to learn anything new. I can see now how both of these side effects of his current condition are a result of the events that came to pass in the Submerged Castle yesterday. His insistence to get all the treasure in each sublevel yesterday explains the first one easily. As for the second... It is frustrating when he rushes me as I'm trying to come up with a way to get a grip of the situation. Now he keeps saying that things like learning are a 'waste'. If only our inadequacies, his in particular, had not cost us so much against that terror, the Waterwraith. On Day 74, three days ago, the President reduced me to a slave-like state, truly convinced I had no power against him. Yesterday, I managed to impose the same mindset on the President instead. This wide-eyed, submissive state is a condition that seems to be unique to this planet, as I have not seen it on any other. It's almost... It's..."

The Red Leader looks at us again, and his eyes light up with what seems to be a sudden realization. If only I could know what he's thinking! If only I could understand his speech.

Olimar: "It's almost Pikmin-like! Those large eyes! The pure skill! The submissiveness! I don't know how I didn't see this before now! But, I know the Pikmin are able to think. I can sometimes see them speak to one another, though I don't understand them. The President could be plotting something even in his subdued state..."

The Red Leader looks downward, with sudden fear and worry in his eyes.

Olimar: "What am I supposed to do now? The President refusing to learn anything new is bad enough, but now I'm once again uncertain of my _own_ safety. Was finally managing to 'subdue' him a good thing? If his confidence is restored to him as mine was, he could become even more tyrannical than before out of resentment. Yet, how could his confidence be restored if he refuses to ever learn anything? But, wait... The President can only speak normally, with _confidence_, when he is refusing to learn anything new. He doesn't want to learn anything because of what happened yesterday. Also, as for the Pikmin, because they are in a similar condition, I have never seen a single one of them learn a new command. And, I know I definitely didn't want to learn anything new when I was under the President's control, because I had just learned that I had ruined Louie's chances of ever returning to Hocotate, that it was all my fault!"

I notice that the Red Leader's eyes have been slowly lighting up again, and his speech is getting faster.

Olimar: "It's all connected to learning! The Pikmin have no idea what our intentions are; they just know that we are, unlike everything else on the planet, not trying to kill them. It was my learning how to deal with the Ranging Bloyster that gave me the confidence to escape the President's grasp! It restored my confidence! That's it!"

The Red Leader pauses in his speech, his breathing fast and his face looking astounded.

Olimar: "This realization came on so fast. It's incredible..."

The Red Leader falls over backwards to lie flat on the sand.

Olimar: "Yet... I still don't know what to do."

The Red Leader's hand that's holding what he's speaking into falls limp on the ground. The tiny object within it lands directly under the floating vessel, which sucks it back up.

For a time, we wait.

At long last, the Dark Leader arrives with nine yellow Pikmin, all flower-bearing. This brings our count of yellow Pikmin up to 19, as one was sacrificed to bring nine into existence. The total Pikmin population in this area is increased to 83.

Olimar: -stands up- "Good. Now, let's see if we can find an alternate route to the hole to the next area."

The Red Leader rises and speaks to the Dark Leader, but receives no reply. Then, the Red Leader calls us all to him, including the nine new yellows, and leads us once more through twisting passageways. We trek past where we fought the third burrower ambush, and then past where the yellows were grown. After that, the path becomes narrower, and breaks off into a maze of twisting passageways. We hit many dead-ends, and many intersections contain poison-spewing pipes. Both of these slow us down, but the latter provides a satisfying diversion for us whites as we shut them off.

Finally, we arrive at a larger arena that contains the hole to the next area, beyond which is a puddle. We enter the hole.

Upon landing in the next area, which is similar to the pervious one, the floating vessel speaks.

Pod: "Sensors indicate that this is the Final Floor."

I know what that means! I recognize it from hearing it a number of times before! It means we're about to fight something really nasty, and that this is the last area of this underground series.

I look at my surroundings. The floor is sandy, and the walls are dark stone, both just like the last area. We have landed on the edge of a gigantic circular arena. I can just barely make out a couple of unstable root walls on its far side, but the monster here must undoubtedly be fought before we can get to them.

Olimar: "A giant arena. This looks like it could be trouble. When my ship crashed on this planet last time, I had to fight three Burrowing Snagrets at once to claim one of my ship's missing parts. This area is most likely a trap of that nature. This is obviously a Snagret's nest. As the Snagrets are obviously the rulers of this dungeon, I hereby dub it the Snagret Hole."

The Red Leader scans the area further before speaking again.

Olimar: "The only thing that perplexes me is the existence of a number of oddly-shaped indentations in the sand. I can't quite make them out from here, but if we move forward, we are sure to be noticed. Well, it has to happen eventually. Let's go."

The Red Leader calls all of us to him and walks forward slowly. We get a ways out into the open before anything happens.

There is a sudden explosion of sand in front of us, and a huge creature springs up from the ground. Before the dust settles so that we can get a good look at the beast, a huge beak suddenly comes down at us. Snatching us up one by one. There are shrieks of terror from the crowd, coupled with a hurried call for retreat from the Red Leader. We immediately run back towards the floating vessel. As we clear the dust cloud, the creature follows us, I can hear it bound across the sand, making huge thudding sounds.

I look back and see a terrible sight. It is a monster like the long-bodied ones in the areas above, but this one has an orange head and a green body. Yet, the most alarming part of the beast is the fact that it is not merely poking out of the ground like the others; this one has a single foot at the end of its long body, and it is hopping across the arena after us.

The Leaders are running ahead of us, as fast as their legs can carry them. We follow at each of our maximum paces. I move to the front of the group with my faster speed, farther away from the monster behind us.

Though the beast is huge, it has only one foot, and cannot hop quite as fast as we can run. It stops to snap at the slow purples, but misses as they clear its reach. It squawks in disappointment and jumps into the air, then turns over and dives headfirst into the sand.

We arrive back at the floating vessel. The Leaders are both out of breath. The Red Leader speaks through his panting.

Olimar: "So... that's... what... the..." -coughs- "That's what the indentations are. They're footprints."

The Leaders recover and the Red Leader speaks again.

Olimar: "This is definitely the lord of all Snagrets. With that one foot, it can jump from the ground without leaving itself vulnerable, and then it can hop to pursue its prey. We will require a cunning strategy indeed if we are to defeat this monstrosity. A Snagret that hops! What a terrible foe!"

The Red Leader pauses for a moment before continuing. He is clearly thinking hard.

Olimar: "We are safe here under the Pod. Snagrets are territorial and this one's nest does not extend this far, or we would still be under attack. But, I can't think of any way to attack it without suffering heavy casualties. When aboveground, this Snagret's foot makes it taller than the normal Burrowing Snagrets. Because of this, I am certain we will not be able to hit its head with anything but our yellow Pikmin."

President: "Don't bother telling me this stuff, Olimar. Just devise a strategy, NOW, and use it."

Olimar: -grunts- -closes eyes-

There is a short amount of time where the Red Leader simply stands there with his eyes closed. Is he still thinking?

The Red Leader opens his eyes and speaks again.

Olimar: "There are three destructible walls on the far side of this arena. If we can get to them without being detected by the Snagret, we can tear them down and possibly find something useful back there. I don't know what we might find that's useful, but we might as well try. Here's what we'll do... Stay in the back of the Pikmin group with me. I'll instruct them to walk ahead of us, around the outer wall of the arena, but I'll keep the yellows in back with us. If the Snagret attacks, throw yellow Pikmin at its head. Let's go."

The Red Leader instructs us to turn and walk along the wall of the arena, in front of him and the Dark Leader. The Red Leader also instructs the yellow Pikmin to stay at the back of the group, nearer to him.

We walk slowly so as to stay together. It takes a long time to circumnavigate the entire side of the arena. When we have nearly arrived at the first of the three unstable root walls, there is an explosion of sand to our side, and the monster attacks again!

The giant beak snaps down at us, snatching up another Pikmin with each strike. Immediately, it is met with a volley of thrown yellow Pikmin from the Leaders. The yellows soar high into the air, land on the beast's head, and begin smacking it with their flowers.

Second after second, Pikmin after Pikmin is taken by the monster. As the Leaders throw the last of the yellow Pikmin, I hear the Red Leader begin directing us in random, swerving directions, trying to have us dodge the creature's beak. But, the instant the creature misses just once, it jumps into the air and burrows back underground, throwing all the yellows off its head in the process.

The yellows fly in every direction. The Leaders call them back as quickly as possible.

Olimar: "Retreat!"

The Red Leader calls everyone to him and orders us to run back towards the floating vessel as fast as we can.

We run. As we do, there is an explosion of sand behind us. The beast is after us again, it's lunging footsteps shaking the ground beneath us as we run in terror towards the safety of the floating vessel's light.

We make it, but not all of us. I look back and see that one of the yellows, which is now leaf-bearing from being flung from the monster's head, has tripped on its way back with us. The monster snatches it up in its beak and tosses it into its mouth, swallowing it instantly. The fiend then burrows back into the ground.

The Leaders are out of breath again. As they recover, the Red Leader counts us again. When the two finally regain their composure, the Red Leader speaks again.

Olimar: "We definitely hurt it a lot, but apparently we have to keep allowing it to eat our Pikmin to keep it from tunneling back into the ground. That is unacceptable, as our casualties are too numerous already. Since we arrived in this sublevel... Our blue count has dropped by five, from 16 to 11. Six of our yellows now have leaves instead of flowers, and the yellow Pikmin count has fallen by three, from 19 to 16. Our purples have taken the hardest hit, with ten losses, taking the purple count down from 24 to 14. Only three whites have been taken, but it would have been less if they weren't so numerous, as the whites are too small and fast to receive heavy casualties in this battle. We now have 21 whites, instead of 24. A total of 21 Pikmin have been taken by this more powerful version of Snagret; we only have 62 Pikmin left."

The Red Leader stamps in frustration.

Olimar: "Is there any form of attack against this beast that would work without allowing it to eat the majority of our Pikmin! Unless... That's it! We make sure it only eats the type of Pikmin it shouldn't!" -turns to the President- "When I was first trying to figure out how to combat Burrowing Snagrets, I discovered that Pikmin attacking its body at ground level were always the beast's first target when eating. With that in mind, we could make sure that this Snagret only eats only our white Pikmin and no others by making the whites attack its foot. This way, the troops it eats will help us kill it quickly through poison. If we have to sacrifice Pikmin to kill this fiend, we might as well sacrifice the ones that will shorten the battle when eaten, thus reducing our overall casualties. This is our only option."

The Red Leader then looks at us with a strange expression on his face. Before I can interpret his look, however, he turns back toward the Dark Leader and resumes talking.

Olimar: "Here's the plan... We organize the Pikmin the same as last time, with the bulk of the troops in front, but the yellows in back with us. Then, we step into the Snagret's territory to coax it out. Once it has surfaced, I'll command all the white Pikmin to attack while you begin throwing yellow Pikmin at its head. The whites will attack its foot and be set up as its target. You may think the Snagret will eventually wise up and realize that the white Pikmin it is eating are poisonous, but no enemy I have ever encountered has ever figured this out before now, so I do not believe this one will. I will then join you in launching our yellows at the Snagret's head. If our opponent behaves as I believe it will, this plan has a one hundred percent chance of success. We may lose nearly all of our white Pikmin, but at least we will win this fight with enough total troops left to bring back whatever treasure this Snagret holds."

The Red Leader pauses for a moment, but the Dark Leader does not respond.

Olimar: "Okay, just one more thing, and we'll set this plan in motion."

The Red Leader holds out a small, red rock, which looks rather familiar. He then throws it to the ground, causing it to burst into a bright pink haze that engulfs everyone. I immediately feel a very familiar sensation as my flower bristles and begins fizzling with pink sparks. My energy level has skyrocketed! I'm ready for anything now!

The Red Leader calls all of us to him and instructs us to walk out into the arena, ahead of him and the Dark Leader. The yellows, just like last time, are given a different command, which keeps them in back with the Leaders.

We advance. Soon, I will be able to exert my energy in defeating this monster. The Red Leader _must_ have come up with a better plan to combat the beast that will soon appear before us again. This monster strikes so quickly. It's frightening to watch it snatch up my fellows one by one. But, now I'm faster too.

Another sand explosion rocks our vision. The terror is upon us again! But, this time, I immediately hear a command from the Red Leader instructing all white Pikmin to attack!

Like lightning, I race forward with my fellows and grasp hold of one of the beast's toes. I strike rapidly with my flower, but it seems to just bounce off the beast's hide. My flower's petals spin like blades, but simply ping off of our opponent without visible damage being dealt.

Suddenly, the white Pikmin next to me disappears as it is taken by the monster. One second later, I squeak in alarm and panic and I, too, am caught in that giant beak. I scream for my life as I zip up and down as the beast strikes again and again, adding more of my fellows to its collection in its beak. I see yellows fly past us, no doubt landing on the beast's head to attack. I try to scramble out of my captor's beak, to save myself, but then everything turns upside down and I fall backwards into darkness.

At the instant that I lose sight of the light outside the beast's mouth, everything seems to suddenly stand still. As I am suspended in darkness, it suddenly hits me...

That was it. That was my whole life and this is the end of it.

Though I never learned what were the Leaders' true motives, I take heart in knowing that I have aided them in their quest. Even with my death, I will poison one of their foes, thus helping them to the very end.

The Bug Leader was wrong. Pikmin are not meant to live a life without work. It is our service to the true Leaders that gives life its satisfaction; it makes life worth living.

I wish the true Leaders the best of luck with all their endeavors.

My whole life I've been itching for action, and I've had a life full of it, thanks to their Leadership. I wouldn't trade that for anything, especially not a life of lazy... nothing.

Life is action. Inaction is death.

I have had an abundance of life, and now, it's over.

I close my eyes, and rest in peace.

THE END


	9. bonus: Dreams Realized

_Okay, here it is, the last Pikmin piece I'm going to write for an indefinite amount of time. I know it's not quite what anyone reading this might have expected, but it's all I could think of to write when I became desperate to express my thoughts about the end of the search for Louie in _Through Red Eyes_. It was meant to be finished by the time I uploaded it, but this version is the best I could come up with. Anyone who has beaten Pikmin 2 with 100 percent will remember the game's final boss battle (or what was intended to be). There was no way I could put that fight in writing; it was just too long and complicated. This here may be the last update this story will see._

_Going back to the phrase "anyone reading this", if anyone _is_ reading this, I feel honored. Either you found my story after this extra chapter was attached and read it through, or you have been waiting patiently for me to complete it ever since the story ended. Regardless, I thank you for reading my work._

_I am currently hard at work on my next release. Check out my updated profile for more information (although not much has changed)._

* * *

"Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 100 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Hypnotic Platter."

The President clapped his hands as the Pikmin carried the last of the Bulborbs to the Pod.

"That wraps up this area!" he said jovially. He then laughed his signature laugh. "_AH_-haaaa!"

"Indeed," replied Captain Olimar. "A large squadron of Bulborbs... This is surely a last line of defense for the so-called King of Bugs that we've been hearing about through my new bug translator. Soon we will finally find out what sort of monster it is. This is the most successful run we have had in the Dream Den so far. With our minimal casualties, I have confidence that we will be able to make it to whatever end lies at the depths of this dungeon."

The spacemen and the Pikmin all ventured down the hole to the next sublevel.

"Sensors indicate that this is the Final Floor."

The spacemen and Pikmin were now standing in the corner of a giant square bathtub, which was filled with dirt, except for a large basin in its center. The basin, however, also had a dirt floor.

"There appears to be a pile of treasure in the middle of this basin," observed Captain Olimar.

There was a pause while he considered. Then he continued, "I don't know what monster might appear before us if we were to venture into this basin. These treasures are probably the stash of the King of Bugs. We shall proceed, but with some caution. I will go in first, with you following a distance behind me with the Pikmin."

"Alriiiiiiight," replied the President eagerly. "We are in business."

The spacemen enacted the plan. Captain Olimar led well ahead of the President. They walked down an incline into the basin.

But, as Captain Olimar got closer to the mound of treasure, he spotted something atop it.

Captain Olimar's eyes were wide.

"...Louie?"

Suddenly, the Pod spoke.

"Mr. President! My sensors confirm it! I have located Louie resting on a vast mound of treasure! For him to venture to these depths alone… The desire of man is a thing to be feared!"

Captain Olimar was approaching Louie slowly. Louie was in a sitting position, but his eyes were closed.

"...But, Louie is not moving," continued the Pod. "Could he have exhausted his strength in reaching these depths? There may yet be time. Quickly! To Louie's aid!"

"What?" said Captain Olimar.

And that was when Louie opened his eyes.

Captain Olimar stopped.

"Captain," said Louie.

"Louie..."

"Why did you come here?" His voice was sad.

"I... I've been trying to rescue you."

"I didn't need to be rescued."

"I've been worried sick about you. I was the one who drove you away. It's my fault you're down here."

"It was my choice to come down here. You didn't need to worry."

"Louie, I'm here now. You can come back. Your family is worried about you too, and I didn't have the heart to tell them that the reason you've stopped replying to their e-mails is because you ran away."

"I'm not going back. This is my home now."

"This isn't a home." Tears were forming in Captain Olimar's eyes. "You belong on Hocotate, where the air is breathable and your family waits for you."

"I've got my own family here."

The ground began to rumble.

Louie spoke once more, and his voice sounded strange. He seemed to be sweetly savoring the notion of what he was expressing.

"Here, I am king."

Suddenly, a gigantic, dark green, spidery leg emerged from the dirt at the right side of the treasure. Then three more surfaced: one in front, another in back, and the last to the left.

After that, Louie was lifted up onto the top of a colossal Dweevil, which had picked up all of the surrounding treasure.

The spacemen leapt backwards, horrified.

"Louie!" exclaimed Captain Olimar. "What are you doing?! Louie, stop! I'm here to save you!"

"You abandoned me, Captain!" Louie was shouting. He suddenly sounded angry. "All I wanted was to help out, but you'd never forgive my mistakes, never allow me to hone my 'lack of skills'."

"Mistakes cost lives, Louie! I _couldn't_ let them be made! You _know_ that!"

"Yes! Mistakes cost lives! But not ours! It's always the Pikmin who suffer the consequences, and rightly so! In my time here, I've witnessed the... the _atrocities_ the Pikmin unleash on the bugs of this world. It is _not_ right for us to just come to this planet and help one of the species on it slaughter all the others! But, now that I'm in control, I'll organize all the bugs into a revolt! We'll rise up and fight against this oppression! The species of Pikmin will be sacrificed for the good of all others!"

"You're insane!" His voice was horribly distraught. "The Pikmin are the smartest creatures on this planet! And they are benevolent! And I owe them my life!"

"Then you'll die with them in this pit, by the power of the Titan Dweevil!"

The giant Dweevil grasped two of its treasures, separating them from its face. It held one of them down close to the floor. The treasure had a nozzle, which was now pointing at Captain Olimar.

Fire spewed suddenly from the treasure, bowling him over. Though his fireproof suit was protected from damage, the force of the blast had been so great, Captain Olimar was blown head-over-heels.

He got up again, trembling with anger and frustration.

"You know better than to challenge the Pikmin army, Louie!" he yelled. "You'll regret this!"

"This is my stand!" declared Louie. "I am one with the bug kingdom! It's all I'll ever be!"

The final battle began.


End file.
